The Lost Children
by The Hope Lions
Summary: The final installment of saga begun in The Ring of Osiris! Almost 17 years ago the goddess Raet kidnapped Colton Miller and Eve Rutter. Now these two children raised away from their families arrive at Anubis house. There they will discover an ancient secret that is uniquely personal.
1. Chapter 1 House of Returns

A million thanks to my wonderful beta Violinrocker12. Sorry for the last ending but here you go. The final story.

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Chapter 1

House of Returns

Some kids get mothers who dote on them and cry when they go off to school.

Some kids get mothers who send a nanny to bring you to the airport before you leave the country for boarding school.

I've always been the latter.

But if one good thing comes from your mom rarely being around and your dad being dead, it's that you don't feel nostalgia when you arrive at that new school in the new country. Instead, you feel exhilarated, and most of all excited.

"Excuse me," I asked coming upon a young blonde boy. "Do you know where Anubis house is?"

"Thank God there's another American here," he told me with a brilliant grin. "Sorry, hon, I can't help you because I've been looking for it myself. Colton Et, and no I didn't just make up the name."

"Eve Ra," I replied with an outstretched hand as my mom always reminded me. "I'm from DC, you?"

"Baltimore," he told me meeting my hand. "What a small world."

I'd say. "So you care to wander with me and try to find this mysterious house?"

"It would be my pleasure," Colton responded placing his arm out like your traditional 19th century gentleman. Surprised by his manners that most teens lacked, I took his arm laughing.

"Something tells me that's it," I announced staring at the ancient building that had at some point been overwhelmed by vines.

"What told you that, the brilliant sign?" he sarcastically responded. (There go the manners.)

"Shut up," I told him with a slap. "You ready to meet our British housemates?"

"Not at all," he honestly responded. "But let's go."

"Oww newbies!" a perky blonde announced the moment the (apparently automatic) door swung open. "HIIII I'm Sage!"

"Eve."

"Colton"

"I. Love. Your. Names!" she squealed before hugging us. (Yes, she did just hug two complete strangers.) "Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone else."

Everyone else consisted of three boys named Sam, Dean, and Jason and three girls whose brief introductions defined them as Nellie, Claudia and Mariah. "Well Mollie's not here, but, well, you'll meet her."

I considered asking who Mollie was, but from the small grin on everyone's face when her name was mentioned I'd like her. It appeared she was impossible not to like. "Well nice to meet you," I told them with an uncomfortable smile. "I'm sure I'll like it here."

"Claudia," a woman's voice called from the kitchen. "Have you seen your…" The woman who'd appeared stopped instantly when her eyes settled on Colton and my faces. "Oh. Mr. Rutter forgot to mention we were getting new students, but I guess it makes sense Angelina and Lewis leaving and all."

"Eve, Colton, Nina, our house mom and English teacher," Mariah announced with a wave of the hand but not a look of the eyes.

"Wait," Claudia, whose eyes hadn't come up from the computer screen since our arrival, interrupted. "What did you say your names were again?"

"Sorry, I've got to," Nina told us after dropping the book she'd been holding on the floor. "Nice to meet you guys I just have to go and find my daughter…"

"Mom, wait," Claudia called after the startled woman leaving the rest of us in sheer bewilderment.

"Does this happen often?" Colton inquired of the other junior residents of Anubis house.

"Nina getting flustered?" Nellie clarified with a shrug. "That's not anything new. I think you just upset her."

"How could we possibly have upset her?" an indignant Colton responded with a sigh and I could only agree. Nina seemed nice enough, but if just one little surprise (Or two medium sized ones I guess) caused her to freak out, this wasn't going to be a good relationship.

"Mollie and Claudia," Dean took over with his voice far too deep for any teenager. "They're not her only daughters."

Sam, who happened to be Dean's fraternal twin, finished where his brother left off. "From what I hear she had another one a bit older than Claudia who was kidnapped from the hospital the day she was born."

"That daughter's name, was Eve," Jason completed dramatically. Pity engulfed me for Nina. Obviously, I wasn't a mother, but there was nothing I could imagine that could be worse than having your newborn daughter stolen from your arms. My mom had decided not to spend time with me, but Nina lost her daughter, her Eve; no wonder she got flustered meeting me, with the same name, which she'd have to see every day for the next two years.

"Do you always do this?" Colton asked looking between the Anubis house residents with awe. "I mean do you always finish each other's sentences?"

"Nope," Dean responded kicking his heels up on the coffee table. "Sometimes we finish each other's satanic rituals instead."

"He's joking," Jason quickly informed us as if he thought we could possibly have believed Dean. "What?" he countered to the intense glares. "Who knows what they think being American and all."

"Jason doesn't understand the concept of sarcasm," Sam informed us with a slap on his ginger friend's back. "And that's why it's always hilarious to use around him."

"Good to know," a grinning Colton decided. "Well I'm going to go unpack. Eve, do you want me to grab your bags for you?"

"I'm good thanks." Actually, the bags were pretty heavy, (who knows what you're going to need in a new country), but I didn't want anyone to think I'm the type of girl who leaches off a guy. I could already see our housemates making bets on how long it would take for Colton and I to get together and I barely knew the guy! For all I know he could be gay. Or a serial killer. Or even a gay serial killer! (Yes I'm talking to you Moriarty).

"Oh! And if you get done quickly the Sherlock season 4 premier is tonight! After 39 years it's finally here," Nellie decided rubbing her hands together. Excitement filled me as I realized the best thing about now living in Liverpool- I didn't have to illegally live stream BBC shows.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I told her with a smile. "We all need to know how Moriarty survived after all."

"I like her," Nellie decided with a single raised finger. "I bet she watched Doctor Who too."

"900 years of time and space and I've never met someone insane enough not to," I countered causing the girl to grin.

"It's official! I just made myself a new best friend!"

"And I just found myself amid another fan girl, great," Mariah sarcastically decided. "What about you Colton, are you insane?"

"That depends on what you mean by insane," the boy countered. "If you mean do I go on murdering rampages then yes, I'm insane. If you mean do I fangirl, than no, I'm perfectly normal."

"Come on, Eve," Nellie told me after rolling her eyes at Colton's blatant disregard for social norms when meeting new people. "We need to discuss what plot twist Hope Lions is going to send us next. I swear since that girl became show runner the show has gone back to Moffat days!"

Smiling, I agreed and made my way upstairs to the room Nellie and I would be sharing chatting about airtight plots all the way.


	2. Chapter 2 House of Insanity

Chapter 2

House of Insanity

"So this place is really old, isn't it?" I noted looking at the magnificent grand foyer ordained by a large sarcophagus.

"Over a hundred years," Nellie responded clearly excited to, for once, know things. "But it was destroyed in an earthquake in 2013 so a lot of it was rebuilt then. As for the Egyptian thing… the original owners were Egyptologists and Nina and her husband, the headmaster, both are by major too. Claudia seems to find it hilarious whenever we say that Nina could secretly be a goddess with all she knows. "

"So Claudia… she's Nina's daughter?"

Nellie nodded. "Mollie too. Claudia is actually only a sophomore, but, well, you heard what happened to their oldest child so her parents are really overprotective. Anyway, Mollie and Claudia share the old housemother's room and Nina and Fabian live up in the attic."

"What grade is Mollie in?"

"4th," a young girl squeaked before appearing from behind the doorway where she'd been standing. Her dusty blonde hair resembled that of her mothers, but the eyes must belong to her dad because I didn't recognize them. "I'm 10," she announced. "But that doesn't mean I don't keep up with you teenagers!"

"Your mom was looking for you," Nellie told the young girl. "Did she find you?" I noticed a quick shake of the head. "Run along then and find her."

"Bye Nellie, bye… whatever your name is!" she called already halfway down the hall.

"She's a cutie, huh?" Nellie noted with a smile. "At first I thought it would be annoying having a little kid around, but she's really mature for her age. Guess that comes with having a sister like Claudia."

"What's Claudia like?" The girl hadn't spoken to me more than asking about my and Colton's names, so I wasn't exactly sure what Nellie meant.

"I mean she's nice and all, don't get me wrong." Obviously Nellie didn't want me to think she was a gossiper. "But she spends the majority of the time behind a computer. She's a little genius when it comes to technology, but her social skills are falling behind Mollie's…"

"What's she doing on the computer all that time?"

"I'm not really sure," Nellie responded, clearly regretting never asking in all their time together. "I know occasionally she does some hacking… nothing big or anything, but don't like your schedule and she's your girl. I think she spends a lot of time looking for something… there was a rumor once that she was trying to find her sister, Eve, but I don't know if that has any validity."

"It's sad, you know, what happened to their sister."

"Horrible," Nellie agreed. "But it was almost 17 years ago. As much as you hate to consider it, the kid is probably long dead."

Nellie was right, Nina's Eve probably didn't make it to her 1st, never mind 16th birthday, but I couldn't blame the family for trying. If they just knew, for certain, their daughter was dead they'd be able to move on. Until then they had to hold on to the hope that someday, somehow, they'd find her.

"Enough morbidity," Nellie decided. "Let's get you unpacked."

"Hey, is there a bathroom anywhere around here?" I inquired of my newfound friend as soon as we placed the bags down. "I didn't get to go before leaving the airport

"Duh, sorry I forgot to mention that. Up the hall and down to the left," Nellie directed. Nodding quickly I went to follow her directions, but found myself stopping in front of the glass office that overlooked the whole house when my name resonated in my ears.

"But why, after all this time would she send them here? Why would she bring Eve back at all?" a man's voice questioned. "I want to believe as much as you, Nina, but that's just not like her."

"Maybe she's turning over a new leaf," Claudia suggested apparently knowing that wasn't the case. "Or maybe Raet knew that this was exactly what would happen. She'd give them back, and then let us believe it wasn't them."

"I could call him," Nina, whose voice fell softer than the others. "He'll be able to tell, won't he? He swore that by making them… like Eddie and me it would be the best form of protection."

"Nina, honey," the man (who I had to assume was her husband, Fabian), gently pressed. "I looked over every file upon admittance. Besides the names, there was no connection between them and nothing to suggest she's our Eve. Anyway, Anubis said he wouldn't be able to tell until something sparks the Chosen One."

Anubis? As in the Egyptian god? Was that some kind of code word or was I living in a house run by nuts?

"You don't understand Fabian," Nina pleaded desperation thick in her voice. "I took one look at her and knew. I just knew the same way Sarah knew me. She's the Chosen One, and that means she must be Eve."

"Dad," Claudia interrupted. "Mom didn't even know their names when she recognized the Chosen One spirit within Eve. I think we should tell them."

"Tell them what!" a new, masculine (and American) voice chimed in. "That we think, but aren't sure, they are children who were kidnapped by a goddess from this very house? Because they totally won't run for the hills thinking we're insane. Especially if we try to explain that we know because they're weird Egyptian superheroes and we used to be weird Egyptian superheroes! I want to believe more than anything that they've come home, but Raet would never allow that. She probably kidnapped another two kids just to give them our children's names and send them here to torment us!"

"Eddie, you don't understand, it's her," Nina's voice had gone from desperate, to heart wrenching. Sure, she was obviously nuts, but she truly believed I was her daughter returned. It broke my heart to know I'd never be able to give her the good news she needed.

"Nina," the man, Eddie, responded. "If it is her, this house will make sure we know. We know better than anyone what this house does to people like us. We'll know soon, but for now we need to wait."

"Eddie, how can I possibly wait when I know in my heart my daughter is right outside the door thinking I'm insane."

Oh s***. I was busted.


	3. Chapter 3 House of Family

Good news bad news. Good news is I have to have surgery June 16th and I'll be in a cast all summer. Now that doesn't sound like good news, I know, but that also means I'll have plenty of time to write, so if you like my works… hurray. Bad news is now I must take finals a week early so I have to start studying and will probably not have that much time after this week…

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Chapter 3

House of Family

Four surprised faced descended upon me before my rooted feet could make a run for it. "Eve, why don't you come in and let us explain?" a calm voiced Nina pleaded, but no way was I going into a secluded office with obvious crazies.

"You're nuts. You're all nuts," I told them backing away slowly. "Colton and I are not your children and you're not some weird superhero. You're all insane and Mr. Rutter please consider this my official withdrawal from Frobisher Academy."

"We can prove it," a desperate Claudia called, but my legs had finally begun to work and no way was I staying near these… psychopaths one moment longer. New hallways seemed to be familiar in my mind as I dashed through them and locked myself in the bathroom.

Before the nut cases could find me I dialed my mom and hoped that for once she might actually answer. To my dismay, however, it was her assistant, Kitty, who answered. "Sunny Ra's telephone who is it?"

"Kitty, it's me, Eve, I need to talk to my mom. It's really important."

"Eve, calm down," Kitty, who must have picked up the panic in my voice, reminded me. "Breath. What's going on? Your mom is in a meeting but I might be able to help." My mom was always in a meeting, so I'd gotten used to Kitty's 'help', but this was one thing I really needed my mom for.

"Kitty, there are people here claiming that I'm their kidnapped daughter and they know that because I'm some weird superhero they used to be! I need to leave here stat before they go completely insane and I don't know lock me in their basement or something!"

For some reason, Kitty found my predicament quite amusing, "Look Eve," she purred. "I'm going to go and see if I can find your mom so you two can talk. Don't panic. I'm sure there is a logical explanation for all of this."

"Yeah. The explanation is that they're nuts," I muttered after being out on hold. How was it that of all the boarding schools in the world my mom could have sent me to she chose the one with those kuku for coco puffs?

"Eve, you there?" my mom's distant voice questioned. Despite our… rocky history, it was nice to have her attention for once when I actually needed it. "Kitty told me what you said and well… there's a possibility they're right."

Wait, what? Had my mom gone insane now too? Was I the only logical person left on the face of the planet?

"I never planned on telling you because I didn't want you to be upset," she continued without a flinch of justified guilt. "But you were adopted. When I got you I was told they'd found you in a dumpster abandoned, in Liverpool. You were half dead. I always assumed your birth mom had just been a selfish teenager who didn't want a child and didn't care if you died, but it's possible. I'm not telling you to take them on face value, honey, but maybe you should talk. See if your birthday matches up with their child. Maybe even ask them to do a blood test. It's up to you honey. Just know I'd be very, very happy if you found birth parents who love you, but know they'll never love you as much as me. You're my world."

"I know, mum," I told her softly. "I know you're busy so I'm going to let you go but… quick question, do you know if there was a boy with me when I was found?"

"I couldn't tell you for sure," she answered after some deliberation, "But I did see another family leaving with a blonde baby boy same age as you when I got to the hospital so it's possible. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," I lied. (Hey if she can lie to me than I can lie back.) "Love you."

Fully conscious of the fact that she'd already hung up. I collected my breathing before stalking back into the office where chocked faces still lie. Slumping on a seat, I spoke. "I don't know if I believe you. I don't know if I should believe you, but apparently I was adopted, so let's chat."

"I know this must be very weird for you," Fabian Rutter, the headmaster who too looked doubtful, began. "And I'm sure much of what you overheard you didn't understand."

"I understood plenty, thank you." I told him reciprocating the patronizing smile he wore. "I get that your newborn daughter, Eve, was kidnapped along with his," I pointed to the silent blonde man, "son, Colton, from this house. I was found in a dumpster not far from here which does sound reasonable of a kidnapper who has a vendetta against you. What's your daughter's birthday?"

"June 6, 2018," all but Claudia (who was giving me a curious look) replied instantly. I'd always celebrated my birthday on June 7th, but if I'd been found being a few hours off was understandable.

Realizing I didn't have any other questions to ask, all I said was, "Look. This is just too big a coincidence for me to believe on basis of a birthday and a name…"

"Run a test," Claudia suggested. "Plain and simple if you're my sister then a simple parental test would prove it. I could do it myself in an hour."

I doubted that, but, catching my reluctant look, Nina explained, "Claud is a genius. STEM and she are synonymous. She knows what she's doing."

I wasn't so sure if I wanted to trust a sophomore with my future, but knowing that any lab tests would take days I agreed. A few cheek swabs and an awkward hour later, Claudia came in beaming with results. "The DNA points match. You have a lot of our mom in you, but considering that shouldn't be surprising."

"Considering what?" I questioned before remembering the other thing that made me think these people, my biological family, were insane. "Oh. Right. The superhero intuition thing."

"It might sound crazy," Eddie, who seemed the least happy (probably because he still hadn't found his son), told me. "But it's true and it all started here."


	4. Chapter 4 House of Magic

There is something in here that if you pick up on you are a genius or I a horrible writer... just saying.

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Chapter 4

House of Magic

"I was younger than you when I came to this school," Nina began to explain. "At the start of my Sophomore year I came here from America, like you. When I arrived Eddie's wife, Patricia, and I didn't really hit it off. She hated me actually and locked me up in the attic I now call home. There I discovered the first of many clues that would lead me to your great-great Grandmother, Sarah and a secret she'd kept for a very long time. The Egyptian gods are not fantasy, Eve. I've met them. Heck I was married to one for a short period of time. I was, and now you are, the Chosen One of my annulled husband, Anubis." Of course, it would be the death god, wouldn't it? She couldn't have picked a friendly god to weave into her hallucinations. "I don't know how to make you believe Eve, but what I say is true."

Nina most certainly seemed to think it was true, Eddie, Fabian, and Claudia too from the looks on their faces. No one but me seemed to associate her words with the concept of insanity. Yet how? How could she get so many people to truly believe what she said, and they did. I can always tell when someone knows they're lying and none of these people were. That left two options-truth or insanity,and I'd place my bet on the latter.

"She doesn't believe us," Claudia, who clearly was as intelligent as her mom said, decided sitting back in exasperation. "And you can't blame her. Neither of you were told what you were, you proved it to yourself by being the Chosen One, by being the Osirian. So unless you have an Egyptian mystery for her to solve you're not going to get her to believe you."

"It's not that I don't believe you," Okay, maybe it was exactly that but I wasn't about to crush them anymore than they already were. "It's just this is a lot to take in. You can prove you're my biological parents, and you did, but I am not a faithful person. We have the here and the now and that's it so unless you can give me real proof…"

"You're right," Fabian sighed sitting up. "We shouldn't expect you to take us on our word alone, but you're here and that's all that matters. We understand that you have another mom and we don't want to take her place, but please. You don't have to accept our faith, but for now can you accept that we want to try and build a relationship with you. Can you believe that."

The way Fabian spoke clicked in my mind that maybe their religion, albeit being ancient and abnormal, was no odder than people who believed in the great spaghetti god.

"I believe you are my parents," science told me that, "and I believe you do love me despite not knowing me," life told me that, "and I think maybe we can make this work," and my optimism told me that.

"What about Colton though," Eddie muttered from the chair in which he sat not looking me in the eye. "I mean what do we tell him."

"Look," I told them putting my foot down. "The probability that your long lost daughter would show up at your school is next to none. Having your long lost son show up the same day is not even possible. I mean even the fact that there is a kid here named Colton is amazing."

"You don't understand this place," Eddie told me looking deep into my eyes as if seeing a golden soul within me. "It will bring my son to you if it hasn't already. You might not believe but I have faith enough for us both. If the Colton sitting downstairs isn't my son, which I doubt, my son will be here soon enough. He'll come when you're in danger and knowing your mother that will be yesterday."

Nina smiled and slapped her old friend gently before heading towards the door. "It's up to you who you tell about any of this," she reminded me. "And I agree that until we know a bit more we shouldn't tell Colton. He's the opposite of you so convincing him…"

I just accepted the opposite thing as part of her erratic faith and smiled before leaving the room and my new-found, but still lost, family behind.

Sleep didn't come easily. Despite Nellie asking repeatedly what was up and why I refused to look anyone in the eye at dinner, I hadn't spoken much leaving my mind to its own devices.

I believed in specials.

I believed Nina and Fabian were my parents.

I didn't believe I could possibly be what they thought I was.

Maybe some people have remarkable abilities, and maybe even Nina did, but I don't. I'm just Eve, not some freaking Chosen One of a nonexistent god whose house I slept in.

"Nonexistent," a masculine voice murmured causing me to jump from my skin and my bed. "Your mom always went with mythological. But then again you're not Nina. No one could ever be like Nina."

"Who the heck are you!" I went to yell, but with a flick of his hand the boy somehow made my voice soft as a whisper.

"You wouldn't want to bring your mom running. We have spoken since I annulled our marriage and left her here on earth no longer a goddess," Anubis ( or the man who thought he was Anubis) told me with a sigh. "As horrible as that sounds it was for the best. Otherwise you'd never have been born."

"So do you have that weird brain condition where you think you're god? Because you're not really Anubis. You know that, right." How many nutters does a girl have to deal with in a day?

"If I wasn't really a god how did I silence you?" Anubis asked openly before a chair slid next to me and he sat on it backwards. "See. More magic. Do you believe yet."

"Schizophrenia runs in families," I muttered, but I knew what I'd seen, what I'd felt. Call him a god or a warlock-whatever you'd like. Anubis had power.

"Good, we've gotten past the nasty bit of disbelief," Anubis told me grinning though how he knew my conclusion I wasn't sure. (Might have something to do with the aforementioned powers.) "Now I have a job for you."

"Why me?" I asked before remembering Nina's words. She might be the pagan, but according to everyone I was this 'god's' Chosen One.

"Because making you the Chosen One was the only way I could guarantee your safety, and that was the least your mom deserved from me." Only in his words was the tenor that made me wonder if really his claim to being ancient, if not a god, was true. He'd lost so much and felt so much pain, and it seemed my mother brought that all to the forefront. "Actually, I can't guarantee you safety. I got your mom killed, and possessed, and well a whole load of other things too. Still, at least this way I have a right to come to you. Otherwise Raet would be all over me. Speaking of which… why did Raet let you return? What's her end game?"

Raet. That was the name of the women (or goddess so they claimed) who stole Eddie's Colton and me from our (respective) mother's arms.

"Maybe this Raet didn't know what would happen. Y'all seem to think it's some sort of destiny bringing me here so maybe she left me to die, I got adopted instead, and now 'the universe has brought me home.'"

"You don't need to be so sarcastic," Anubis noted with an amused smile. "But maybe it is a coincidence. Still, she'll be coming after you soon enough so watch out. If anything seems out of the ordinary, if you ever feel like something is wrong only say my name. I have a very old debt to the Chosen One and maybe it's time I start being a better patron."  
"I'll call if something seems off," I promised unsure whether or not I meant it. "Anubis, You better come now because I just found my long lost birthparents and now there is a magical man in my room claiming to be god!"

"All the sass," he noted apparently shocked. "If I hadn't watched you be born I'd swear you were Patricia's daughter, not Nina's. Alas, it seems that genes do funny things sometimes. Bye for now Eve, I'm sure we'll meet again."

As I plopped down on my bed once the 'god' left I only wondered when this insane dream would end.


	5. Chapter 5 House of Dreams

Chapter 5

House of Dreams

When I opened my eyes and saw myself standing in the glossy foyer of Anubis house, I knew my eyes weren't actually open.

"This is a dream," I told myself with a laugh.

"If by a dream you mean something that happens while you're asleep, then yes, this is a dream," a middle-aged man whom I hadn't noticed called from the staircase where he was resting hunched over. "If by a dream, however, you mean something that's not real then no, this isn't a dream at all."

"Who are you, Ra?" I inquired sarcastically. With all the insanity in my life as of late, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that's who he claimed to be.

"Osiris actually," he remarked with a small grin. "Ra is my grandfather and you already met my nephew earlier I believe. I'm not surprised at all Anubis paid you a visit."

"Well he is apparently my patron, so no, I'm not surprised either. What can I help you with Lord Osiris?"

"You'll learn to believe I'm sure," he continued as if my snide comments didn't bother him one bit. (Which probably was the case, but whatever.) "Colton will help you learn to believe."

It wasn't until the words came out that I realized my sarcasm had dissipated, "Is he a superhero too?"

"He is the lost son of Patricia and Eddie Miller if that's what you mean," Osiris answered with a nod. "I can see his soul and it is special."

"So let's say all of this is true," I wasn't sure what to believe anymore, but theoretical situations I could do. "If I'm the Chosen One and he's my protector or whatever is he the Chosen Two?"

Osiris obviously found that hilarious, because it took him a minute to respond. "No, the proper term is the Osirian. The Chosen One is the name given to Anubis' servant. Mine is a bit more straightforward I'm afraid. The Osirian's destiny is to protect he or she's Chosen One from the dangers the job presents. Where the Chosen One's abilities correlate with death, the Osirian, who is infinity more powerful, can do whatever needed so long as it will protect the Chosen One. He or she couldn't, however, use the Osirian powers to kill the Chosen One. It's quite simple actually."

"More power, less situations you can use, got it." I told him with a nod. "So that's Colton and the Chosen One…"

"Mainly the Chosen One's abilities stem from death and control over dead things." Osiris must have seen the horror on my face, because he quickly continued. "Not zombies. More like moving wooden furniture or talking to ghosts. This house too, being named after Anubis, had a special connection to the Chosen One. Doors open for he or she, objects move. Stuff like that."

"Nice lesson, but why are you here?"

"You need to get close to Colton." The brash way he said it caused my cheeks to flush red in embarrassment. "I don't mean like that, though there is nothing stopping you. All I mean is Colton needs to trust you, as there are things he knows that you won't believe until he informs you. Destiny has bound you together, but you'll find life has given you quite a few things in common."

I didn't see what was so funny about Osiris' words that warranted the laughter he gave, but I pretended not to notice hs amusement as he pretended not to notice my sarcasm. "Let's say I do do as you say and go befriend Colton. Then what? How do I explain to him that he has long lost parents, never mind that he's some freaky Egyptian protector or me? I'll sound nuts because this is nuts."

"Disbelief won't be a problem for Colton," Osiris assured me. "The personalities of the Osirian and Chosen One are always opposite in nature Where you life is based around skepticism, Colton's is based around belief. Besides, Colton has already had a few visions himself of his mission. Just become friends and he'll tell you more than I ever could. Good luck, Eve. You'll need it."

"Osiris, wait!" I called but the 'god' had disappeared leaving me alone in a dream version of Anubis house. Unsure how to wake myself, I found my feet wandering and my mind lost in memories of the whispering house telling me to find the Chosen One.

_Well, that shouldn't be too difficult_, I snorted mentally. _I am standing right here after all._

"Eve?"

Spinning around at the familiar accent, I found Colton standing next to me. Correction. I found a dream version of Colton standing next to me. None of this was actually happening and I had to keep reminding myself of that. "Hey," I told fake Colton with a smile. "What's up?"

"Nothing, Eve, if I show you something do you promise not to tell anyone what you saw?" Colton seemed nervous as he asked, and I had to chuckle. Even in my dreams I could make men nervous by my sheer presence.

"Of course," I told him curious to see where this led despite knowing that place couldn't possibly be real. "Lead the way."

"I've come here in my dreams since I was a kid," dream Colton explained once he led me down into the creepy basement. "Except in my dreams I was never actually me but a teenage stranger. Still, when I got to the house I knew this was the place. There are tunnels running under the school, I know it, and these tunnels are important."

Tunnels. I remembered an old recurring dream I had as a kid in which I'd spent a lot of time in tunnels…actually, looking around at the cellar I realized this place too was where my tunnel dreams had begun. Even before he opened the trap door I knew the 1890 pass code because I'd spent so many hours watching through someone else's eyes as I opened these same doors. Did these tunnels I'd always dreamt about actually exist in Anubis house, or was this just my subconscious bleeding through? As much as my logical mind said the latter, a nagging feeling in my gut told me that well Colton and I weren't really here, this place did actually exist.

"I used to too," I admitted softly and Colton didn't even seem surprised.

"I know," he answered with a beaming smile. "We came here together. Your golden spirit could be seen when we were kids just as well as I can see it now."

"But if we both know these tunnels why are you bringing me down here? I don't understand!" Ugg why couldn't my dreams for once make sense?

"Because I had a new dream of us looking at this mosaic in a library and this is the only way I know how to get there," Colton stated plainly as if I'd just asked what 1+1 equaled.

"I remember the library… there was a girl wearing a mask and then this guy who looked like you came in and…" suddenly the penny dropped and I knew that somehow what Nina had told me was true because it had to be true. How else could I have spent years dreaming of my parents and their friends because that's who they are. Colton is a dead ringer for his dad and that's who I always saw banish some ghost from a mask a younger Nina who looked a lot like me wore. "Colton? Is this real or are we dreaming?"

"Well I know I'm dreaming of course, I felt myself go to sleep. And you're not real because you're in my dreams so I don't exactly know the answer to your question."

Wait, so Colton thought this was his dream? Could it be possible… no? You can't share dreams. Or can you when there is magic involved? I didn't know, but I did know I was way out of my depth. "Colton. There is a possibility this actually is real. No don't give me that face I don't believe it either but to be sure we need a code word. Tomorrow morning I'm going to ask you your favorite drink and if you say…"

"Vodka with two lemon?" Colton suggested causing us both to giggle.

"Okay if you say Vodka with two lemon we know this was real and then we go and find the real library and the real mosaic. Deal?"

"Deal."


	6. Chapter 6 House of Revelations

Dear those of you who read Children of the Obelisk. How do you feel about pain and suffering? Those of you who don't be glad. Be very, very glad.

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Chapter 6

House of Revelations

Colton beat me down at breakfast (but only because he had prior knowledge of how to tie a tie, swear.) And the little grin in the corner of his mouth when he noticed me made me wonder if maybe my dream really was weird. Before I could even open my mouth to ask our code question he spoke, "Mrs. Rutter… ah Nina. Is there any way I could get some vodka with two lemons to go with those pancakes?  
Nina looked ready to have a heart attack. The rest of our housemates tried to determine if he was serious. And I laughed, before slapping him.

"He's kidding," I told my biological mother quickly with a faint smile. "It's kind of an inside joke."

"You've know each other for like 12 hours and in that time Eve's hid for most of it," Dean noted a confused look ingrained in his chiseled face. "How on earth could you have an inside joke already?"

"When you meet your dream girl," Colton responded a playful smile on his face. "You'll understand. It's like the whole universe is working to pull you together."

Unable to breath I was laughing so hard, I quickly grabbed a muffin before leaving to escape the highly confused (and in Nina's case, anxious) faces of my housemates. Colton came dashing after me, his cameo backpack loosely slung across one shoulder.

"You're horrible," I informed him with a laugh. "Now they really think we're American freaks."

"Ahh who cares," he answered nonchalantly. "Actually, I do hope they think that because we are Americans and if the fact that we're sharing dreams means anything then we are freaks."

My laughing stopped, "Egyptian freaks from what I've been told."

Colton nodded, "What have you been told because you wouldn't believe me if I told you what happened to me last night."

"I found both our long lost parents, met my biological mom's first husband, the god Anubis, before being greeted by your patron, the death god Osiris. Try me." If Colton could come up with something at this point that knocked me off my feet well props to him. No, I firmly believed there were cement blocks holding me solid on the ground. In a matter of 12 hours, I'd been desensitized to insanity and nothing could surprise me now.

"I met Anubis too, though not Osiris. He explained to me the whole Osirian-Chosen One thing, which did I mention was awesome, and then was all like 'you must be close to Eve your destinies demand it.' To be honest, I thought he meant I was the Chosen One and you the Osirian but he didn't clarify so if you say otherwise…"

"Yeah. My mom, who did I mention was Nina like our housemother Nina, was the last Chosen One which makes me the new Chosen One and your dad…."

"Wait my dad?" Now it seemed to be Colton whose feet had been cemented to the ground. (Apparently he hadn't picked up on my pronoun use before when I said our, not mine. ) "I don't have a dad it's always just been me and my mom, Helen."

So the gods would tell him about magic, but it was up to me to break the sad truth about life. "Look Colton… your parents or your biological ones at least, are old friends of Nina and Fabian. Actually, they all went to this school together about 20 years ago. They were the last Chosen One and Osirian. Your dad, Eddie, angered this goddess Raet along with my mom. In return, she came to this school at their 5 year reunion minutes after our birth and kidnapped us. She then left us in a dumpster to die but I guess her plan didn't exactly work out…" If it had, we'd be dead. "We were found and then adopted and now something- destiny, chance, whatever you want to call it- brought us back to this school for something."

"I can help us there," Colton, who seemed to be a 'put pain on back burner and deal with later' kind of guy, told me quickly. "Part of my dream was Anubis giving me info, but there was also this women. She had flaming red hair and a beautiful smile… she called herself Luce, but I think that's a nickname. Anyway, she told me about this mosaic that was put in the Frobisher Library about 10 years ago when it was turned into a full time museum. She said that there is a god, her love, trapped in the mosaic by a spell cast by that Raet you were talking about… she needs us to free him."

"How on earth are we supposed to do that? And what makes you think that we can trust this Luce?"

"Well she is a goddess, right," Colton said with a shrug as if that was a perfectly good answer. Seeing my face, he sighed and explained. "I mean she's a goddess and isn't our destiny to do what the gods ask of us because only we can? And if what you say about our parents angering a goddess and getting us kidnapped is true then we can't exactly not do as she says. Plus SHE'S A GODDESS! I don't know about you but disobeying her doesn't seem like a smart idea."

Colton had a point; we really did need to do as Luce said. Still, I knew in my gut that this was dangerous and if we trusted Luce Colton would end up dead. I knew it. "Look, Colton…" I began weakly before changing my mind. "No. My destiny is to do what these ridiculous gods ask and your destiny is to protect me. I have to serve these people then I get to choose my master."

"Eve!" Colton called running to catch up with me. "Look. You're right my job, as the Osirian is to protect you, and apparently my superpower is to know how to keep you from harm. So if I say it's safe, doesn't that mean it's true?"

"We don't know that's how it works," I bit back despite him not deserving my anger because we both knew from our dreams that yeah, that actually was how it worked. "Let me make a deal with you. After classes, we go and meet your parents. Then we ask your dad if you'd know whether or not something is safe for me. If he says that yes you'd know and you still believe it to be safe then tonight we sneak through the tunnels and find that mosaic. Maybe just looking at it will give us a clue what to do."

"Deal," Colton told me with a beaming grin completely unfazed by the prospect of meeting his biological parents. "Classes, parents, magic all by the side of a beautiful girl. What more could a boy want?"


	7. Chapter 7 House of Blood

GOOD NEWS! Teen Nick is playing a season 2 marathon Saturday and Sunday and I think it's quite possible they're gauging to see if there'd be anyone watching a season 4! So watch!

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Chapter 7

House of Blood

"Ya sure you're ready to do this?" I asked Colton stepping in front of the door to block his path from the office where his father would be waiting for him. "Because I'm handling this fine and they say we're polar opposites."

"Then I'll be brilliant at it," Colton assured me after literally lifting me up and putting me down out of the way. "Because you're not dealing with it well and you're only pretending to. But if you don't mind… I'd like to talk to him alone. Maybe you go and talk to your mom or something. If you're really so good at dealing with this then you'll be fine."

Leave it to a complete stranger to call me out on my panic. No way was I going and seeing Nina; I'd much rather sit outside the office where Eddie sat and wait for Colton to return with our answers.

"My point exactly," he told me with a half-hearted chuckled before taking a deep breath and walking into the room. I stood to listen in on their conversation, when suddenly two hands wrapped around my waist squeezing the air out of me.

"You came home," little Mollie, who apparently had been told of my identity, whispered. "I always knew you'd come home."

Unsure what to say, I just smiled and crouched down to meet the tiny girl in the eyes. "I never even knew I had a home to come to, but now I'm glad I do."

Mollie giggled before outstretching her hand, "Hi Eve. I'm Mollie. You're sister. It's nice to meet you."

Why are little kids so gosh darn cute? "Hi Mollie. I'm Eve your long lost sister and it's spectacular to meet you."

"Give her a break Molls," Claudia called exhaustion clear in her voice even from the other side of the house. "Come bother me if you're going to bother anyone."

"She's not bothering me," I told the girl, my sister, with honesty. "I'm just waiting for Colton… he's in talking with his dad."

Apparently, nobody had told Mollie the full story yet because her eyes grew wide, "Colton is Uncle Eddie's son! That's so cool!"

"Yeah, Mollie, it is. Now I need to talk to Eve so can you go and I don't know do anything but stay around here," Claudia requested and I wondered why she sounded so tired. Then I remembered she was a sophomore and understood: everyone's tired of life when they're 15.

Mollie was clearly pouting at being sent away, but she hugged me tightly before skipping off clearly not angry at all. Claudia gave me a look that said *follow me* and I was quickly led up into the attic (which if I remembered correctly was Nina and Fabian's room.) Plopping down on her, no correction, our parents bed Claudia began. "Just be careful with Mollie, okay."

"What do you mean?" It wasn't like I'd hurt her even if she wasn't my sister, my blood.

"She doesn't know that this," Claudia motioned to the notch in the wall shaped as an Eye of Horus sat. "Is more than a story. I'm not even sure if our parents even want to tell her. It changes the way you see the world. It changes you. And none of us want that to happen to Mollie, you understand?"

Of course I understood. I, myself, could already feel the change sparked by all I'd learned last night. I lived in a dark world, and Mollie, even at 10, was far too young to see that.

"I was about Mollie's age when I found out. 10 I think."

"Wait," hadn't Mollie said she was 10? "I thought Mollie was 10."

Claudia laughed, "Not for another four months or so, but you know how little kids are. Always rounding up. Nah she's just a little kid. You and I were both surprises, especially me because I came so soon after…" Claudia didn't have to finish for me to know that it brought her parents pain to have another child so soon after they lost me. "You're June 6, 2018 I'm April 19, 2019 so I'm what 10 months younger than you? Irish twins we are," she joked with an Irish accent and all. "Mollie's birthday is December 13, 2024 and the twins aren't due for another few weeks."

"Wait, twins?" What was I missing because Nina sure as heck didn't seem 9 months pregnant, especially not with twins!

Claudia waved her hand, but a smile crossed her face. "Amazing, right? I invented her whole wardrobe myself. Maternity clothes that makes you look skinnier than you are without a baby! I haven't come up with a name yet I'm thinking Slimers or maybe Twig…"

"You're really not exaggerating on the genius thing, are you," I noted sheer awe in my voice. I might be some sort of superhero, but we all knew which Rutter kid was really getting ahead in life.

"Nope. And I'm not kidding about the twin thing either. Mom would have told you but it was insane enough as it is I guess she didn't want to make it worse. But yeah, in a day's time you've gone from being an only child to one of five. What an insane world."

"Yeah. I guess it is…" My mind had wandered far from the attic when suddenly I heard Colton say my name. I went to go to him when an (apparently confused).

"Where the heck are you going!" she called down to me.

Stopping in my tracks I turned my brow scrunched in perplexion. "Did you not just here Colton call my name?"

"Nope," Claudia told me eyes wide and head shaking. "But like we said. You two are weird. So go deal with your freaky Egyptian stuff and just remember Mollie doesn't know. To her the Osirian and Chosen One are just the bedtime stories mom liked to tell."


	8. Chapter 8 House of Parents

Chapter 8

House of Parents

"Hey I was just coming to get you," Colton stated when I practically hit him with the attic door.

"I know," I told him with a laugh. "I heard you calling." Colton looked confused for a moment, but he shook his head as if brushing out the mad thoughts.

"Come on. My dad thinks you should be there when we talk about the power thing." Ugg. Couldn't these adults just leave us alone? With a sigh I followed Colton into Nina's office where I found not only Eddie, but Nina, Fabian, and two other women one with blonde hair and a peppy style and another with a look that promised she was once all out goth.

"Oh my God I'm so glad you two are alive," the perky blonde squealed attacking us with hugs.

"Chill Amber," Eddie light heartedly scolded while his hand mindlessly ran up and down the other woman's arm.

"That's my mom," Colton whispered in my ear. "Patricia."

"It's really nice to meet you Eve," Patricia told me her voice hoarse. "Amber's right. We'll all really glad you're alive and safe."

"And if we want to keep it that way we need to talk," Eddie gruffly told us pulling up a chair. "The reason the five of us are here is because we were the primary members of this group called Sibuna when we were here."

"It's Anubis backwards," Amber, who was living up to her hair color, told us with a smile. "Because we solved mysteries here in Anubis house."

"Well not mysteries exactly…" Fabian corrected. "I mean generally there were clues involved, but it really just came down to us stopping someone who wanted to be a god all the time."

"And you think that's going to happen to us?" Colton asked wearily. "I mean I believe in this and all but what makes you think it will happen again?"

"Because for almost 2500 years it has been happening," Nina wearily responded. "Every Chosen One has faced dangers that every Osirian has had to protect her from."

"But why now?" I interrupted looking up only briefly from my bleeding cuticles. "I mean we're both 16, why will odd things suddenly start happening now?"

"I'm surprised they haven't already," Patricia noted. "I mean Nina was 15 when she assembled the cup and it was only a few months later when Eddie came and saved her from Senkarah." I considered asking what on earth she was talking about, but figured it would only make my anxiety worse.

Nina's eyes jerked up for a second. "When you got here did the doors jerk open as if they were automatic?" Now that she said it, they had, so we nodded causing Nina to grin. "That's the first odd thing that ever happened to me. Something is starting."

Colton opened his mouth as if to say that we knew what was starting, but my look shut him up. It wasn't that I didn't trust our biological parents, it was that I could feel the worry on them and didn't want them trying too hard to help us. This was something we had to do on our own. They had their time. Now it's ours.

Amber, however, wasn't fooled. "What? What happened?"

"Nothing," I lied easily (but not persuasively.) "Cross my heart nothing happened."

"We're just kind of curious what to expect when it does. I mean we've both had gods hanging around ready to explain things, but mind if we ask a couple questions," Wow. Colton was so good even I believed him.

His father didn't, but he sat back suspiciously as if to say go ahead.

"So I'm the Chosen One, right. Which means Colton is the Osirian-my destined protector. Does that mean if something was dangerous he'd know?"

"Absolutely," Eddie answered quickly. "There were times when I'd know Nina was in danger even before she was. I'd hear her calling me when she was only thinking of doing so. I also had visions of dangers or things that would help stop a danger."

So Colton was right. He felt fully confident that our little goddess was honest and not going to hurt us, so she must be. Otherwise he'd have felt the danger I'd been making up in my head.

"Just one more thing," Colton pondered aloud. "Have you ever heard of a goddess named Luce?"

I wanted to slap him. I really, really, really wanted to slap him. Actually, I kind of wanted to kill him.

"No…" a suspicious Fabian muttered.

"See, I told you it was just a dream," I instantly blurted out with a laugh. "Colton was all like the great goddess Luce is going to kill us all, but I told him she doesn't exist. Jet lag and nerves are not good combination you know…"

Colton looked thankful that my cover up came out well, but none of the adults (not even Amber) looked entirely convinced.

"Well we'd better go…" Colton awkwardly muttered. "You know syllabus to sign. Housemates to actually talk to…"

"Right, sorry," Patricia told us standing. "It's just weird for us too you know. We always assumed… I even told your sister that you were dead. Having you here, in front of us, yet still in danger… it's not easy."

"We're not in any danger," I told the worried mother with a smile hoping it was true. "Nice to meet you Patricia. Amber."

We went to leave, but I felt a steady hand on my shoulder, "I just want a word with Eve." To my surprise it was Eddie who spoke. "Don't want her breaking my son's heart now, do we."

"She most certainly can with looks like her," a grinning Fabian noted. "Gorgeous as her mom and sisters."

"You're right lucky she didn't get any of your genes Fabian Rutter or Sage would have had to request a different house to escape!" Amber joked (causing me to realize how much she looked like my housemate. Mother- daughter most likely.)

The old friends left the office jokingly, but Eddie was somber when he spoke. "I died twice saving the world, saving Nina," the aging man told me. "And you don't pray to the Egyptian gods but I did. The moment I found out Patty was pregnant I prayed he wouldn't be the Osirian, but he is. He's your Osirian, but he's my son. I understand why you don't trust us. You don't know us, but if you don't let us help you and my son ends up dead…"

It wasn't a threat. It was a promise of life ending guilt. Still, I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't. "I know Mr. Miller. And I promise to keep him safe if my life depends on it."


	9. Chapter 9 House of Journeys

FYI there is a poll on my profile you all should vote on because it affects your majorly.

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Chapter 9

House of Journeys

"So, how do we get to this library because I was just always there but have no idea how to get in…" I asked Colton who met me outside Nellie and my room.

"There is probably an entrance from above ground," he told me with a shrug, "But I have no idea where it is."

"I could help you with that," spinning I found myself faced with a sister who looked both excited and annoyed. "Puhleese you didn't really think you could fool me, right? Mom and dad sure they'll believe anything you tell them they're just so happy you're alive. Me on the other hand… well I'm no fool."

"What on earth do you mean, Claudia?" I asked with a patronizing smile and batting eyelashes included.

Thank gods she had yet to figure out the looks-can-kill glasses or Colton and I would have been six feet under in seconds. "You've had some weird call to action by some Egyptian figure and now you're trying to get into the Frobisher library to investigate it."

"We don't even know what the Frobisher library is," Colton told her honestly. (Well we could easily have figured it out but we hadn't known the name. So maybe honest isn't the word, but it was not a lie. Not technically.)

"Fine," Claudia told us with a sigh. "I guess you don't need the only key that will allow you access to the library without our parents finding out…"

The little…. "Fine, what do you want in return."

"Simple," the girl told me with a content smile. "I want to come with you. Sibuna reborn."

Colton didn't seem happy that the girl was tagging along, but I could only shrug. To be honest she probably knew a whole lot more about this whole Egyptian thing than either of us because she'd been raised on it. Even before she knew it was true, the story of the Osirian and Chosen One was her Cinderella. She'd be a big help and she knew we knew it.

"Here," the girl told me holding out a simple locket shaped like an eye. "There are a million passages around this place, and that locket can get you through all of them."

"Maybe you should give it to me then," Colton teased. "I'm much less likely to lose it."

What he didn't know, however, was that I had the ability to lose my head with it still attached, "Go ahead. We both know jewelry is more your style anyway."

Claudia laughed, but my joke caused us to sneak into the kitchen behind my sister in an amused silence. "Press the necklace in the hole," she directed of Colton who, following her lead, placed the metal against stone and quickly opened up a passage. "See. Cool. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"You've never been down here before, have you?" I realized looking at how young she looked in the shadows.

"The key only works for the current Chosen One and Osirian," she admitted with a shrug. "So I've been down to the basement, but never through here, and mom wouldn't tell me the pass code to get into the Frobisher study because she was afraid I'd get myself killed…" the words were left unsaid, but we all knew Nina feared Claudia would die as she thought we had.

"1890," Colton and I chimed in unison though neither of us knew where the words came from. "That's the pass code," he finished leading the way through the tight tunnel.

"So you just turn these little things…" Claudia told us twisting what looked like solid stone into the 1890. "And if you're right… walla!"

The wall had given away to a study covered in dust. If one cared to look they could notice easily that people had been down here in stages, but we were in a rush to carry on. Remembering the dream, Colton went to move a book and open the next door, but I called for him to stop first, "Wait! Don't open that door!"

"What, why not?" he replied flustered.

Claudia looked at me in awe, "How on earth did you know?"

"I don't even know what I know," I told her with a laugh. "It just felt wrong, dangerous."

"Dangerous is right. I heard my parents talking a few years ago about how they fixed the old security measure that made you blind if you weren't wearing one of these." Three dusty amulets swung on black ropes in Claudia's hands. Grabbing one each, we opened the door into the first chamber of the tunnels. While walking, Claudia explained the history behind the tunnels.

"Well thank gods we're dealing with a goddess and not a ghost then," Colton joked and I flashed him a dirty look. Sure we were letting Claudia tag along, but I hadn't planned on telling her the complete truth. Now we had no choice (or so the look on her face would suggest.)

"You've been in the library before, right?" If Claudia wanted info, we were getting some in exchange too.

The girls nods were long and slow when she replied, "I practically grew up in there. Mom wanted to put in a permanent exhibit when we took over the school. I think she thought maybe more Egypt stuff would draw you here quicker to be honest." And it seemed to me my mom spent the past 16 years of her life trying to find a girl her brain said had died. It was sweet, but also sad. Most likely I was a disappointment because with Claudia and Mollie to compare me with I wasn't what she expected. Claudia is the smart one and Mollie the personable one. I'm the magic one, and from what I hear that's the one child Nina never wanted.

"Colton asked if I knew of the mosaic by the way," Claudia told me with a poke. "And I told him yes, if he means the one of Osiris I have seen it."

"Osiris?" I repeated tilting my head in bafflement. "That doesn't make sense. Luce said it was her lover trapped in there."

"Maybe Osiris is her lover," Colton suggested obviously forgetting that I'd talked to the god only last night.

Claudia, however, did not forget. (Though how she even knew was a mystery to me. Add omniscient to her list of talents please, scribe.) "Maybe it isn't Osiris then because you're right. That makes no sense. I mean I've never met him and all the gods are related so it's probably someone else. If Luce says it's someone else and Colton believes her then it has to be. Her lies would hurt you, Eve, and Colton is literally incapable of that. Actually it's kind of funny. Like he couldn't step on your foot if he tried to…"

Colton did try, and my pounding foot proved Claudia wrong. Blushing, she corrected herself, "Well then he couldn't drop a boulder on you with magic then. I don't know it's your superpower."

"Are we superheroes?" Colton asked just as we reached a long chasm. "Because we're going to need to be able to fly if we want to get over that."


	10. Chapter 10 House of Destiny

Don't forget to vote in the poll and despite this being ridiculously short I don't care because dat ending dough as my classmates would say.

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Chapter 10

House of Destiny

"Maybe we could like throw a rope over it and I don't know swing," I suggested, but Claudia already moved to the corner.

"Come help me with this big guy. Aren't you glad I came along because you two would never have noticed this." No. We probably wouldn't, I realized helping her move the heavy bridge. Carefully we slid it into place. "Now there used to be traps but they're probably off. I'll go first to check."

"No way," Colton and I chimed in unison.

"It's my job to protect you," Oh so Colton was going to pull that card.

"Yeah. And you can't protect me if you're dead."

"I won't need to protect you when you're dead." That little, arrogant...

"For Anubis' sake," Claudia called causing us to turn and discover she'd already made it half way across well we were arguing. "The traps aren't on so just don't fall."

"We're not done," I told Colton annoyed. If he thought that I would let him risk his life to protect me then he was nuts. I didn't need anyone protecting him, but from the drunkard way he almost fell from the bridge, twice, only to have me help him, Colton was the one who needed protecting.

"So if you're done flirting with my sister…" Claudia teased. "The passage is right up this way. Let's go."

I wanted to tell Claudia that we weren't flirting. Colton and I were just friends, but he grabbed my wrist first. "Look, Eve. I'm sorry if I upset you before. I'm not trying to protect you because you need it, but everyone has told me that's what I need to do so please, can't you just let me try to fulfill my destiny."

"That's the lamest apology, ever," I told him shaking my head, but a slight smile crept up my face. "But fine. Just they say go on feelings so I think you only need to protect me when you feel like you need to protect me. Don't force it, let it flow. I mean the visions just happened, so this should be the same way."

"How come you're so clever," Colton praised causing my cheeks to blush red. "I guess it must be the genes. I mean look at your sister she's freakishly smart."

"I heard that!" she cried good-naturedly from where she was bent down feeling the stone. "And if you're going to ask her out just ask so we can go and free some lovers before you two become some."

"Come on before she pushes us together and says kiss," I told Colton, but he wasn't moving. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just…" obviously he didn't feel right lying to me. "When I met Anubis he said something about how he expects us to fall right in with the old pattern our parents always denied and then suddenly when Claudia said something about me asking you out I felt something like…"

"Like a million lovers screaming kiss the girl?" I whispered and he nodded. "That's how I felt when we first met."

"Well if you wanted to kiss me you could have just tried," he teased, but the joke was lost in the minuscule space between us. "Eve, do you feel that?"

"Yes."

"You told me to follow my instincts, so when your sister comes and slaps me you're to blame."

"Let her slap me because I started," I told Colton before pressing my lips to his. What I'd originally assumed would be a simple kiss quickly turned into much more. Two painfully experienced souls found generations of love in a single moment. No breather was needed; we lived off each other. A thousand unspoken words and a billion unlived moments settled on our hearts, so when the ringing voice of my little sister reached our ears and our union broke Colton and I had found something.

Of all powers between the two of us, this I found to be the most wonderful. The ability to fall in love with a stranger you've known forever.

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Would you believe me if I said I have never had a boyfriend and my romance is therefore always going to be ridiculously sappy because I have no love life so if I'm going to create my own it better be perfect... well you should.


	11. Chapter 11 House of Lovers

So after 6 hours of studying and 5 hours of the TeenNick HOA marathon I would be remiss if I didn't update. Speaking of the marathon, I'm beginning to remember why I made Peddie get married. Just kiss for Anubis' sake!

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Chapter 11 House of Lovers

"What's taking you two so lo…." Claudia's voice broke Colton and I apart as we awkwardly exchanged glances with my younger, and highly amused, sister. "Thank Anubis you two aren't like your parents because it took ages for them to get to the same point. Now if you're done exchanging DNA I found the mosaic."

"Right," I told her with an awkward chuckle (and a bit of a scowl too.) "Let's go and reunite some lovers."

"Before you two become real lovers yourself," I heard Claudia mutter before the peddle beneath my foot 'accidentally' reached her calf.

"Oops," I told her with a giggle. (It's not like it was big enough to really hurt.) "Sorry, Sis."

Colton giggled, but easily led the way through the tunnel into our library. A few pinches and bruises later, Claudia and I made our way over to him radiating in the joy of having blood close in age to you. (Well I was just glad to have a sister at all really). "So is this him? Luce's ancient love."

"I guess so," I told my Osirian with a shrug moving closer to study the image. "You're right though Claudia. He does look a lot like Osiris. Guess that's what you get when you start marrying your cousins."

"Wait," Claudia stopped with a giggle. "Aren't you two cousins?" Wait, what? I really, really, hoped this wasn't about to turn into a Mortal Instruments incest thing… "Let me think. Our great-great-grandparents were Colton's great-grandparents, which would make you… third cousins once removed."

"Which really means nothing when you think of the fact that we have two souls and one pair of those souls have been marrying for thousands of years," Colton reminded my sister with a laugh. "I think we're fine. And it was just a kiss BTW. We're not even technically dating and I'm understand completely now if she didn't want to. My DNA exchanging was atrocious."

All I could do was laugh.

"Any who…" Claudia noted bringing us back to the situation at hand. "Now that we've found the ancient lover trapped in an ancient mosaic, did Luce say how you get him out?"

No. No she hadn't.

"I mean we have superpowers, right," Colton suggested with a shrug. "Maybe if we just place our hands on it or something he'll come out."

"I doubt it will work like that."

The woman who stood in front of us really was no more than a girl, but it was obvious even to Claudia who didn't have supernatural abilities, that this was Luce. Flaming red hair and yellow eyes matched perfectly with the dress she wore. The dress flickered around her like a candle flame, and I was only left to wonder if she was the goddess Hathor who was associated with the softer side of fire. As if reading my mind, Luce turned to me and nodded. "Names have power you know. Her own name once killed your mother, so I do hope you understand my desire to keep mine silent. With only a mutter of the word Raet will know I'm trying to free my love and come not only for me, but for you two too. She believes you to be dead, and it's probably best for it to remain that way."

"Of course I'll protect you," I told her with a solemn nod hoping not to anger the goddess who, unlike Anubis and Osiris, didn't have to keep me alive to fulfill their vows. "Do you know of a way to free your love?"

"Of course she doesn't," Claudia, who for some odd reason seemed the least awed by the goddess' presence, scoffed. "If she knew how to free him she wouldn't have recruited you."

"That's not exactly true," Luce spit back causing me to be startled. She looked so innocent I'd already begun to forget her immense, immortal, power. "I know how to free my love, but I cannot do it myself. When she imprisoned him Raet took his soul and imprisoned it in this mosaic, but his body was entombed in a sarcophagus I know to be hidden beneath this school."

Colton was the first one to make the connection. "The chasm. Raet dropped your lover in that pit." Luce/Hathor nodded. "How on earth are we supposed to get down there, and furthermore how would we possibly carry it back up?"

Luce pondered the question for a moment before offering an answer, "The pit looks like it goes on forever, but it doesn't. Instead the pit passes through the Du'at at various points. As the Chosen One and Osirian you can pass through the Du'at and even bring others with you so long as they're wearing that necklace."

"But that still doesn't answer the question of how we get down there," I reminded the goddess frankly. "I mean it's not like we can just jump."

"Actually," Luce told us with a crooked smile. "You can."

"Well this I can't do," Claudia piped in. "You can't expect us to actually just trust you and jump into a bottomless pit with only a necklace for protection."

I had to agree with Claudia. I didn't trust Luce or Hathor or whatever her name was. My gut told me she didn't want us dead, but that she wanted something much worse. Still, Colton was the one who physically knew if someone was a danger to me, and he seemed to like Luce just fine. Maybe my years of paranoia are just catching up with me.

"Ask Colton," Luce suggested (once again as if she was reading my mind. And considering she's a goddess maybe she actually was.) "Your own father told you that you'd know if I was a danger to Eve. If I was telling you to jump to your death I think you'd know."

"She's right," he reminded me with a reassuring squeeze. "I'd know if you were in danger and I don't feel anything but the need to help Luce. I'm getting a good night's sleep and then going. Are you two in?"

I wasn't in. I didn't like risking Colton and Claudia's life to help a stranger even if that stranger was a goddess, but it wasn't like I was letting Colton go in alone. Call him my destined protector all you want, we all know he'd die without me.

"Well I'd much rather visit the Du'at than history class so I'm in," a beaming Claudia decided to my great anger.

"No way. I have never asked for anything as your older sister so you owe me. Neither Colton nor I will give you that necklace, right?" Colton nodded clearly in agreement. Risking our lives was one thing destiny and all, but Claudia needed to stay safely at home.

"One, you've know you're my sister for like 24 hours so you haven't exactly had a chance to ask anything of me," Claudia noted firmly. "And if you don't give me that necklace I'll jump in after you anyway and then you'll have to carry my dead body around so you could take it home to our parents and explain how you trying to protect me got me killed."

I wanted to say no and feel confident that Claudia wouldn't do it, but there was a certain light in her eyes that reminded me of the musical "Pippin." Everyone told Pippin that if he wanted his life to have meaning he had to die spectacularly and that little glint in my sister's eyes made me wonder if maybe they're right and creativity, genius, does come as a package deal with just enough insanity to die to prove you wanted to live.

"Fine," I told her relenting warily. If she died anyway I'd never forgive myself. If any of us were to die I sure hoped it would be me so I didn't have to live with it. "We're going to bed now, and tomorrow we'll jump. And know Miss Luce that if we jump and die I will haunt you for the rest of eternity until you wish that it was you and not your lover entombed in that mosaic. Understood?"

Luce seemed surprised by my threat, but she nodded. Sighing I headed through the ground-level door into the chilling night fully aware of the insane deal I just made and would have to fulfill tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12 House of Odysseys

Don't forget to vote in the poll! And review because you'd be surprised what happens when you do.

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Chapter 12

House of Odysseys

"Now, I don't have much experience with this so correct me if I'm wrong, but threatening the goddess who is on our side probably wasn't the best move," Colton noted while we crept back through the tunnels.

"Well I think it was a brilliant idea," Claudia sarcastically responded before changing her tone. "Don't beat yourself up about it Eve, we all do stupid things."

"Why would I beat myself up about something I don't regret? I don't like Luce and I don't trust Luce." Maybe we were sisters, but Claudia still didn't know me enough to realize i say what I mean and I mean what I say.

Colton stopped right in front of me and almost set me tumbling into the chasm a day early. Gripping my shoulders he spoke, "I know I'm the one with the supernatural intuition, but if you really think Luce is a danger to us then we just won't do it."

"I mean I don't think she's trying to kill us!" Why did I feel so strongly against us entering the Du'at on the word of goddess who doesn't even want people to know her name? "I just feel like she wants something from us."

Claudia's look screamed of teenager. "Yeah. She wants her lover back. I mean if Colton got trapped in a mosaic wouldn't you do anything to bring him back."

"First of all he's not my 'lover'," I reminded my sister with a scowl. "And of course I'd do anything for Colton, or you, or anyone really… and that's what concerns me. How far will Luce go? What will she do? I really just don't know and it worries me."

"You have a good point," Colton told me with a bobbing head. "But you figured out her name, right, after she wanted to keep it a secret. If something goes sideways you just say her name and poof something will go horribly wrong for her and we'll be good."

Claudia laughed loudly before speaking, "That is literally a worse plan than invading Russia in the winter, but I think he's right Eve. We really do have to do this and if something goes wrong well… we figure it out then."

I had to agree with my sister, we were doing this, and we just needed to be careful. "Fine. Everyone pack a backpack with as much food, water, and clothes you can carry, but don't make it so heavy it will slow you down."

"What about weapons?" Colton and I gave Claudia a very, very interesting look at this point.

"Do you know how to use a weapon?" Colton asked taking the slightest, but noticeable, step back.

"Right," she answered giggling. "I guess we're going without then. So good night sleep and then first thing in the morning we're back down here."

"I wouldn't exactly consider it a good night sleep with only five hours left," Colton called after her, but the girl had already disappeared up the cellar leaving me, and the guy I just kissed, alone.

"About that kiss…"

Colton grabbed my hands before replying, "Don't you dare apologize Eve Rutter, because you better not be sorry."

"I wasn't going to apologize," I told him honestly. "I was just going to say that it didn't mean you have to ask me out or anything."

"Who said I didn't want to ask you out?" the giddy boy responded. "Eve Rutter will you go on a date with me to the Egyptian afterlife?"

Giggling, I played along, "Why Colton Miller, what more could a girl possibly ask for."

Colton was serious again when he responded, "Well, I've never been a girl." (Or kind of serious). "But I know a guy could possibly ask a kiss of his new girlfriend."

I considered teasing him and saying one per night, but I was already addicted to his sweet kisses and just leaned in for one more before the night ended.

* * *

"All packed and ready to go?" I asked my companions when we met in the kitchen just before Nina came down to make breakfast.

"Yup." My companions whispered in unison before a (very, very) overtired Claudia giggled.

"What on earth is so funny?" I ended up asking her because when I'm tired I just get cranky.

"That's the thing!" She cried back and I hoped the cellar walls were thick. "It's not on earth. We're about to leave earth, or earth as we know it at least."

"Careful tiger," Colton teased. "Don't get too excited. Your heart might burst."

Claudia really didn't seem to care if that happened. "For years I've known this stuff is more than a story, and now I finally get to live it. I don't know how you guys aren't so excited this is incredible."

Maybe Claudia was right. Maybe this was amazing. Or maybe we'd all be dead in a few minutes after we jump, literally, jump, into the deepest canyon probably in all of creation because a goddess, a goddess, told us to. "Sure. Let's just get this over with. I'll jump first."

"No way," Colton told me stepping to block my path. "I'm your protector. I'll go first and call up if it's safe."

"I don't exactly think I'll be able to hear you," I reminded him. "Why don't we just all jump together, unless you're sane enough to go back that is Claudia."

"Nope," my little sister answered with a definitive pop of her p. "Besides, you'll die down there without me. Who knows when you'll need to hack the entire solar road grin just to say hi."

"Well then." I had to be completely insane. "Let's go."

And suddenly I was falling, flailing, and I knew that I was dying.


	13. Chapter 13 House of Ib

Wow this is so long it must make up for my long hiatus. Anyway... guys it's summer and I have nothing to do but sit here and write so don't forget to check out the poll and vote for what stories you'd like to see from me next!

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Chapter 13

House of Ib

**_A note from Eve Rutter: So sorry guys if I gave you a heart attack last chapter. I was typing this up on my phone and you know how autocorrect is. When I said I was dying I meant to say I was flying. So once again, sorry, and on with the tale._**

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"So this is the Du'at?" a clearly unimpressed Colton noted upon gaining his footing. "I would have expected something, I don't know, more."

"What zombies and skeletons?" Claudia sarcastically responded. "Let's be real."

I had to agree with my boyfriend though, "Naw, he's right. This isn't what I pictured either." Stone walls chiseled out a cave and the only way we could go was in. Clicking the flashlight app on my phone, I dived into the unknown before anyone could stop me.

"Eve wait," I heard Colton echo from behind me. Slowing down only enough for my companions to catch up, I continued down the path. "This isn't a race you know."

"We don't have a lot of time," I reminded him without malice. "Luce said as much and my gut says we have even less time than she'd like us to believe."

I noticed Colton's lip being crushed from the corner of my eye, so I stopped in my tracks. If Colton was uneasy about anything… "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's nothing Eve let's just keep going."

"You're a horrible liar," Claudia and I noted harmoniously. With an amused look passing between us, she spoke again before I could. "You're the Osirian. Whatever qualms you feel, whatever strikes fear in your heart IS legitimate and we need to know."

Colton seemed annoyed by our pestering when he responded, "Really guys, it doesn't matter. It's nothing Egyptian that's bothering me."

"But there is something." If Colton thought he could get off the block that easily he was truly a fool. (And I didn't want to be dating a fool.) Deciding to change my tactic from pushy girlfriend to sweet tease I let out the slightest (and fakest) giggle. "Come on Cole. Just tell me."

Claudia looked horrified, and Colton legitimately took a step back before responding, "Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend."

Anywhere else that would have obviously been a joke, but I almost wondered if Colton was being serious and honestly wondered if this, if I, was just a trick of the Du'at. Throwing my hands up in surrender, I laughed a bit more honestly. "You've got me, and I won't try that again. Come on Colton though. You know you can tell us anything."

"It's just you Eve," he finally snapped. "I don't like how little trust you have for Luce. We're here, in the fr**k*ng land of the dead because she told us to find a coffin for her trapped lover. We're risking a lot on faith that you don't share."

Stepping closer to Colton I could barely make out his worried eyes in the pale light. "You've known from the beginning I don't trust Luce, but you trust Luce so that's enough. Even if you weren't my destined protector who would know if I was in danger I'd trust Luce because I trust you. I mean I hope it's obvious I trust you because I jumped into a pit on your gut feeling."

"Anyone know where they keep the barf bags on this love ship?" Claudia's tone was one of teasing, but she did actually look a little sick. "If you two are done being all mushy and gushy can we continue into this never ending cave and figure out how the heck to get to the chamber of the sarcophagus."

Thanking the gods that it was so dark no one could see my blush, I put some well-needed distance between Colton and I by heading to the other side of my sister. Claudia was right; Colton and I could deal with our unresolved sexual tension later. For now, we really just needed to find this coffin and get out of Dodge.

Claudia knew the most about this strange new world, so I directed my question towards her despite my crossing to the other side of the increasingly widening cave. "So the Du'at has many levels, right? So all we really have to do is figure out what takes us to the next level and do it. Hopefully, if we do that enough times we'll get to where Raet hid the casket."

Claudia nodded, "That doesn't sound like too bad of a plan except for the fact that we don't know how to get to the next level."

"Now I make no promises," Colton interrupted glee apparent in his voice. "But I think these words might have something to do with it."

I turned to see Colton fingering some writing on the wall, but the universe was not kind. "Only problem is that's not English. I'm pretty sure it's ancient Egyptian. Now I don't know about here in England but that's certainly not part of our American curriculum."

Claudia sighed, "It's not taught in school here either." Well crap.

"Then why do you look so happy," Colton, who was much closer to Claudia than I noted.

Unable to withhold her joy the girl bounced on the balls of her feet as she replied, "See you will learn with time big sister that it's good to do some learning outside of the classroom. For example, had I never taken the time to become fluent in Ancient Egyptian we'd all die in this forsaken cavern. Lucky for us I did take the time to learn Egyptian. I might be a bit rusty, but I'm pretty sure that writing is telling about the conception of a man."

"Why would they put the sex talk on a cave wall in the Du'at?" I heard Colton mutter.

Claudia didn't seem amused, "It's not the sex talk you got, don't be ridiculous. In Egyptian lore they believed the first part of your soul to form was your Ib, or your heart. It came as a single drop of blood from your mother. Now I'm not 100% sure, but I'd venture a guess about how we get from level to level. The Du'at is where you go when you die, and as you die it's your soul that passes through. Maybe to get through the Du'at you have to do something related to each part of the soul."

"That's a nice theory," I admitted, "But it still doesn't tell us exactly what to do."

"I think she has a point, Eve," Colton responded to my surprise. "See that stalactite growing from the bottom of the cave, there's no stalagmite to go with it. Everywhere else they're in pairs, only that stalactite is alone."

"Actually, the ones growing from the ground are stalagmites and the ones on the ceiling stalactites. You can remember because the ones coming from the ground have a g in them and the ones coming from the ceiling have a c in them."

"You would be the only person in the world who actually knows the difference between the two," I teased my sister. "But with all your knowledge is it possible for it to just be a natural occurrence for there to be a stalagmite without a stalactite over it?"

"I mean it's possible," she responded stepping closer to assess the yard long structure. "But since the water dripping from stalactites forms these I can't imagine it could have ever gotten this big without an equally large stalactite above it."

Colton seemed proud when he spoke again, "So I was right. This 'stalagmite' is here for a reason. And it's sharp too. "

Oh. So that was where they were going? I really didn't think I was going to like these trials. "You said the ib was formed out of blood, right." Claudia nodded confirming that my gruesome deduction was correct. "Then my guess is we have to spill a drop of blood to get to the next level." Pricking my finger on the cold stone, I cursed. For some strange reason (maybe because we were in the land of the dead) that little prick hurt much more than when you're at the doctor.

"Looks like we all have to give up some blood," Colton noted when nothing happened. "That or we're wrong."

"Let's go with all giving up some blood first," Claudia suggested following my lead. Reluctantly, Colton did the same as the second his finger dripped onto the stone I felt myself being sucked through the ground and on to our next task.


	14. Chapter 14 House of Ba

Guys… I feel like I'm going to be writing a lot very quickly so strap yourselves in tight.

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Chapter 14

House of Ba

"Well this is much more like it," Colton noted as we took in the next level of the Du'at. I had to agree with him again; it was truly magnificent.

"Out of the cave and into the diamonds," Claudia's gape reminded me of my own. Slamming my mouth shut, I studied the crystallized rock that bent like a dome. I moved carefully so not to fall down the slippery dome's sides as i went to touch the rich diamonds and noticed my glistening reflection.

Thank gods Colton was by my side or I would have tumbled into the center of the diamond hallow with a broken neck. "My reflection it's…"

"Now that's freaky," Claudia who'd looked herself realized with wide eyes. "It's my head, but like a chicken for a body. I think I know what part of the soul this one represents-the Ba."

Colton's grin was wide when he interrupted my sister's spiel, "Shouldn't we be sheep bodied then if we're ba?"

Claudia didn't find the joke as amusing as the two of us, "The Ba is the part of your soul the represents your essential inner being."

"Nice to know I'm really a chicken on the inside… I wonder if McDonalds will offer money for my body should I die…"

Maybe we shouldn't have been joking around under such conditions, but come on, you try looking in the mirror, seeing a chicken, and not making jokes. "THIS REALLY ISN'T FUNNY YOU GUYS!"

Pressing a hand to my sister's shoulder, my voice came out quiet, but strong. "We're not taking this lightly, Clauds, we're just trying to keep from going insane. We can either laugh about things or cry about them."

The girl wasn't accepting of my unofficial (and really nonexistent) apology, "Or we could figure out what we have to do to get to the next level!"

Colton sighed, "Fine. No more jokes. Let's look around for clues of some sort but be careful you don't fall. Who knows how far it is to the center."

I didn't mention that if this was like the last task we'd soon have to discover how far it was because that was where we would be heading. Instead I cautiously plodded along looking for something, anything, that could give us a hint as to what we should expect.

"Look I'm not finding anything. The stone is bare," Colton finally cried frustration heavy in his voice. "Maybe we should just make our way to the center and see what we can find there."

None of us liked the idea of heading into the dark area where the diamonds seemed to refuse to reflect light. Still, no one could come up with a better option so we were left with only one place to go-down.

* * *

"It's a book."

"Very astute observation," I sarcastically told my boyfriend with a firm eye roll. "You should be the next Sherlock Homes."

Claudia, ignoring our banter, stepped closer to the book. "It's an empty book and each page has one of our names on it." Oh this did not sound good.

"So what, we have to fill the page? Can we just write one big "no" in the middle and get it over with," oh Colton, if only things could be that easy.

The three of us stood flustered until I offered a suggestion, "Well this is the Ba level, right. So maybe we fill our page with words that describe who we are. The Ba is your personality so maybe it's like one of those kindergarten projects where you write who you are."

Colton smiled at my suggestion, but shook his head, "I can't help feeling like it's more than that."

Claudia turned to us beaming, "Well I can confirm it is more than that. There's a directions page." Wow, somebody should call Staples because that was surprisingly easy.

While Claudia was attempting to translate our mission, I felt Colton's arm pulling me aside. "Do you feel like this is too easy? I mean if that goddess, Raet, really wanted to hide the sarcophagus wouldn't she have made these challenges actually difficult?"

So I wasn't alone in my misgivings it seemed. "So you agree. You think she wants us to find the sarcophagus, but why? I thought she thought we were dead."

Colton could only shrug, "I don't know maybe she's figured out we survived and now wants to change that? Or maybe there's some master plan going on here that we're just missing."

"Don't be ridiculous," I told him with a look. "People don't have master plans in real life. Those are reserved for books, or movies, or fan fiction authors."

Colton laughed and only spoke again when my face clearly expressed how crazy I thought he was, "Sorry. I was just imagining the fearsome goddess Raet writing smut fics."

"You're right," I told him with a smile. "That's a ridiculous thought. Raet wouldn't write smut fics, she's much more the fluff type."

"If you two are done being ridiculous I think I've figured out what we're supposed to be doing," Claudia called half annoyed half (and I quote) "totally shipping Cove".

With a sly grin Colton and I went over to where she had somehow found a pen. "This pen is enchanted to write what we say so long as our hand holds it. I think we're supposed to tell a story."

"What kind of a story because I failed Creative Writing," Colton did seem truly worried, but I figured he didn't have to be long before my sister spoke.

"It can't be made up. The Ba is that part of you that makes you 100% individual even if you're an identical twin. Genes have some effect, but nurture makes all the difference," Claudia looked at me and I realized how she was referring to our shared blood and intensely different personalities. "You need to tell a story of a moment that changed you. Life is full of moments that matter, and we just need to pick one."

Colton literally gulped as he spoke, "Great. So who wants to go first?"


	15. Chapter 15 House of Stories

Chapter 15

House of Stories

No one answered Colton's question quickly, so I finally just grabbed the pen. How hard could this possibly be? I just needed to tell a story, any story, well not any story, a meaningful one, but same difference.

"Okay then," I told them with a gulping breath. I'd grabbed the pen, but I really didn't know what I was to say. What was the defining moment in my life? I considered offering the story of how I found out who I really was, but something in my gut said that wasn't it. No what I needed was much older…so old I'd almost forgotten about it.

"My first day of kindergarten my mom had a meeting," I began apprehensively. "She's always in meetings so it was nothing new, but that day I was miserable because everyone else's parents were there to see them off and I only had Kitty, my mom's assistant. Right before I'd left home that morning my mom promised me she'd be there right at 3:56 to pick me up and while everyone else said bye to their parents I clung to that time. Kitty left quickly and I found my rug before even the teacher was in the room. When she finally came in we didn't talk and eventually everyone came and we began our day. When the end of the day came around I dashed outside excited to see my mom but found no one there. I was sad, but figured that she was just running late and would be here soon. One by one kids got to be picked up until I was the only one left. The teachers were really annoyed because they couldn't leave until I did so they finally had me call my mom around five. She didn't answer the phone at first so I called Kitty and asked her where my mom was. I was devastated when I found out that my mom had left for Baltimore at lunch and would be there for a few days. Kitty came and picked me up of course, but I don't think I stopped crying the whole time. My mom had promised me she'd pick me up knowing that she'd be out of town. To this day I still can't understand why."

Unclamping my hand I felt the pen roll to the floor. That was not the story I'd planned on telling, not by a long shot, but somehow it just came out. Shaking my head I realized that it probably was some weird Du'at magic making it so you only give the right story. I tried cracking a smile at my companions, but it fell short when I reached their horrified faces.

"No wonder you were so willing to accept Nina as your mom," Colton finally told me gently. "No offence Eve but your mom sounds like she stinks."

I could only nod my head. He didn't know the half of it.

"Well I guess that makes it my turn," Claudia, who seemed calm now that she wasn't the first to go, told us. Snatching the pen up in her hand the girl began speaking quickly. "My story is much more fun. When I was 11 the house had some nasty juniors in it. I hated them. Well one day they decided to have a party at the house because my parents had a meeting at the school all night so I was left to call them should anything go wrong. Knowing that I'd be calling if anything happened they locked me down in the cellar because there's no reception. They didn't bother Mollie, but since she had just turned 6 I think they felt bad doing that. Well after trying to find a way out I actually looked around the cellar. Sure I'd been down there a few times, but never for long and never alone. I realized just how much this cellar was like the one from all the Chosen One stories I was told as a kid. I knew the idea was ridiculous, but I figured that if my parents had based the fictional cellar off of the real one maybe some of the features, like the secret room, actually existed. I found the study and devoured the books in it. By the time my parents finally found me down there I already knew what that had to say. I already knew it was all real. Though I will admit I thought that made me the new Chosen One, but thank the gods I'm not."

Claudia was right, her story was much more fun. "Only you would find a secret room knowing there was a tunnel system right behind it and stay to read the books," I teased my sister with a poke. I looked to Colton for his response, but he seemed to be staring at the pen. Realizing his apprehension, I gave his hand a tight squeeze. "Go ahead. This is a no judging zone."

Colton smiled, but the grin disappeared before his thumb even reached the pen. "Ironically, my story starts the same place Eve's did: my first day of kindergarten. My mom had been away all weekend on a business trip, so I was shocked when both her and my step-dad were there to drop me off. They didn't linger of course, that's not like them, but I was glad not to be that awkward kid who came alone." Before continuing on Colton shot me a 'sorry' glance, but I just shrugged. I was still hung up on the fact that Colton had a stepfather and I'd never realized it. Maybe I knew him from the connection between the Chosen One and Osirian spirit, but I was realizing how little I actually knew about the guy's past.

With a deep breath the boy continued, "The day was going well, but to be honest I was an obnoxious little kid. The teacher had already told me to stop talking fifteen times and it wasn't even lunch. When lunch finally came, I had no friends yet because everyone thought I was annoying, so I went to sit alone. On my way to the table I tripped and spilt my food all over this one really annoying girl in my class. With my incredible luck she just so happened to be the one kid around with a peanut allergy and I'd dumped my peanut butter and fluff sandwich on her. She was fine, but I got in huge trouble because she said it was on purpose. My parents we in D.C. for work that day and they had to drive all the way back to pick me up. Suffice to say they weren't happy. What really stuck with me about that day though was the teacher telling me that I couldn't do this or I'd be considered a trouble maker forever. The thing was I could see in her eyes that she already had me pegged as the trouble maker, and I figured if that was what people would think I am I might as well be so."

Colton clearly felt ashamed of his actions, but I gave his shoulder a tight squeeze in support. "Think on the bright side," Claudia offered with a grin. "I bet you got to miss a ton of school because you were always suspended."

Colton was grinning too now, "You don't know the half of it. Some of my mom's employed said that they should just make me the Sunny Suntan spokes boy I had to go to work with my mom so often."

"Your mom works at Sunny Suntan?" I told him with a laugh. What a small world. "She won't be happy when she finds out you're dating the boss' daughter now will she?"

Colton seemed confused when he turned to me. "Wait, what?"

Figuring he was only confused because I'd never mentioned that my mom owned Sunny Suntan, I continued smiling, "My mom is your mom's boss. She's everyone's boss."

"Not my mom," Colton countered obviously still confused. "My mom doesn't have a boss."

Now he was just being ridiculous, "Of course your mom has a boss. Everyone but Sunny has a boss."

Colton's eyes were wide as he bobbed his head, "Exactly, my mom is Sunny. It's her company."

"My mom's Sunny," I told him annoyed by the lie. If he thought I was that stupid…

Colton's mouth opened and closed for a second like a fish, "That's not possible Eve because if you're telling the truth than that means…"

"We have the same mom."


	16. Chapter 16 House of It's Kanda a Funny

BTW the title isn't a spelling mistake… it's me being punny. Don't forget to drop a review if you want to make me happy. When I'm happy I kill less characters. :)

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Chapter 16

House of Kanda a Funny Story

The only one not in shock was Claudia, so it was acceptable for her to be the first to jump to the obvious conclusion nitwit one (me) and nitwit two (Colton) had missed. "Does no one else find it convenient that your mom's name is Sunny and the person who kidnapped you as babies was the sun goddess?"

No. Claudia wasn't implying that my mom was… was… Raet? I mean she could be mean at times but not kidnapping, murdering goddess evil! Yet how else could you explain away the name and the fact that Colton and I, though we never met before a few days ago, shared the same mother!

Colton clearly was struggling as much as I, "But Raet…Luce said Raet thought we were dead. If she raised us than obviously she knows we're not dead."

"And if she raised us than what's the master plan? Why kidnap us only to send us back to our parents now?" Despite our arguments, I could tell Colton knew the same thing I did. Raet was the woman who'd raised us.

It explained why I felt like she was only around half of the time. Actually, it even explained why my mom hadn't picked me up at kindergarten! She'd had to pick Colton up because he got in trouble and was in Baltimore with him instead of D.C. with me.

It was one thing to find out my mom wasn't my biological mother, but finding out that she never really loved me… that it was all a ruse… That hurt.

"I don't think we can trust Luce," Claudia finally whispered and I wanted to cry. Of course we couldn't trust Luce! I'd been saying that from the beginning, but here we were halfway through the Du'at with no way out and everything was falling into place. We'd been tricked by a goddess not once, but twice.

Standing, I offered my hand to my sister. "We have to keep going anyway. I don't know what is waiting for us when we reach the sarcophagus, or if the sarcophagus even exists, but I know we have nowhere else to go but down."

As if on cue, the floor opened beneath us and we found ourselves tumbling into the darkness again. Except this time something was different. Looking down I saw no floor appearing so when the ringed chains came into view I cried out on an instinct, "Grab one of the rings."

Pain shot up my arm as my body weight hung suspended on a single chain. Struggling, I swung back and forth until my hand could grab a second ring. "Everyone all right?" I heard Colton call from behind me.

"I'm good," I called, but panic fluttered within me as I realized Claudia had yet to respond. If something had happened to her…

"I'm fine," she finally huffed and I could just make her out a few rings in front of me. "It's this fog making it hard for me to hear anything."

I hadn't noticed the mist until she spoke, but quickly realized that I was entirely engulfed in a smoky layer of something, "This isn't fog."

"Let's not think about what it is or isn't," Colton, who didn't sound too good, called. "I'm guessing we just have to swing across. Should be easy though what this represents I don't know."

Claudia was coughing as she responded, so I begun moving. Whatever this smoke was it wasn't good for our lungs. "I think it represents our Ka. That's like your life essence. I guess we have to prove we're alive or something by not dying."

Okay. I had to admit this whole test was stupid (if difficult), but I'd realized that was the point. Raet had made these tests; I knew that for sure. Where or what we were heading towards didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that Raet, the woman I'd known as my mother, made these challenges.

What was even the purpose? We'd thought she was hiding a coffin, but now I doubted that. And these challenges… anyone could easy pass them. Raet wanted us to pass them. She wanted us to get to the end. But why?

Something told me it wasn't her wanting to see her beloved children united.

My life was a lie.

It didn't matter that in 16 years my mom had never told me that she loved me I just assumed she did. I'd accepted she wasn't a hands-on mom, but to find out that she was no kind of mom at all left me bereft. I took back what I'd said about master plans; if anyone was playing the world like a chessboard it was Raet. It was my mom.

My mom who despite everything I couldn't find it within myself to truly hate because how could I? How do you hate the only person in your life who though never was there had to acknowledge your existence? How do you hate the person who cooked you dinner as a kid and even taught you how to cook yourself when she got bored? How do you hate the woman you bought all those mother's day card for and who gave you beautiful presents whenever you asked for them? How do you hate someone you've spent your whole life learning to love?

Before I'd even realized it had begun, the challenge was over. The rings ended and with Claudia's help I safely jumped on a little platform that collapsed in on itself the minute Colton too finished the test. Nothing was said as we continued falling towards our final challenge; we had nothing left to say.


	17. Chapter 17 House of Ren

Review with theories, or if you just want to chat. I'm bored and alone so come and talk to me :). Definitely PG-13

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Chapter 17

House of Ren

I'll admit it, I laughed and cried when I got to the next layer of the Du'at. Colton, however, wasn't so amused, "I'm going to kill her."

"Chill," I told my boyfriend with a comforting hand. "She's just trying to get to us."

Colton shook his head while stepping away from me, "These trials are her trying to get to us. This… this is evil."

Claudia had fallen behind, but now she clearly saw what we did. "Eve, Colton, is that a picture of you two, as babies…together?"

With a scowl, I nodded, "She probably kept us together for years and only split us up when we started remembering things. It explains why you felt so familiar, Colton."

Clearly unable to take the distasteful decorations, Colton turned and looked at me when he replied, "And I'd just assumed it was the spirits within us. Come on, let's look for clues as to what we're supposed to do. I want to get out of here."

"Colton," I called after him as he disappeared into the far corners of the replica version of my house.

"Look, Eve, I don't want to talk about it."

Now it was my turn to give him a look, "Well to bad because we have to talk about it."

I jumped, startled, when Colton slammed his hand on the table by his side, "How are you so calm about this Eve! Our whole lives are a lie!"

"NO THEY'RE NOT!" Why was Colton making this such a big deal? "I don't know about you, but mom was never around much. She wasn't a part of my life, not really. I MADE MY OWN LIFE! She had no say in what I do and hasn't for years. Maybe she wanted us to be little chess pieces, but I never once did what she wanted. Our lives aren't a lie."

Colton's grip on my shoulders was hard when he replied, "But they're based on a lie."

I could only shake my head because I couldn't escape his grip, "So? Whose parents don't lie to them? I'll admit, this is a bit bigger than most lies, but who cares? We can't change it! We just need to get out of here, figure out how to beat Raet, and make a new life. Maybe with our real parents or maybe we'll just have to make a new life with each other."

Colton's arms fell loose at my words, "I don't think you realize what you do to me."

Neither of us seemed to mind me standing on his feet when I replied just so I could get closer, "I do realize Colton, because you do the same to me."

"I love you Eve."

I smiled when I replied, "I should hope so, or this is going to get quite awkward." Before he could reply my mouth was open and connected to his. Soft hands met softer hair and not even a cell could slip through the gap between us. Before I even knew what was happening the door behind us had been pushed open, but I didn't fall because my legs were wrapped around his waist.

Colton, however, did fall- right onto the bed with me beneath him. The weight should have been too much, but it felt like nothing because it was _his _weight. Flurried hands moved expertly around both bodies, until finally Colton stopped and fell to his side.

"Eve… we can't."

I didn't need to ask him what he was referring to. My shirt had been tossed to the floor, and my silky black bra had come unclasped without my notice. Colton's belt hung half in half our of the loops and his boxers were peaking through the unzipped gaps. A firm chest pulsed under my hands naked and hot.

"I don't want this to be the memory of your first time."

"It wouldn't be my first time," I confessed pulling in a bit closer.

"It would be your first time with me," he corrected a soft kiss on my forehead, "And that's the only first that matters."

He was right. I knew he was right. But that didn't mean I wanted to stop. This, all of this, was the only thing in this place that felt right. Yet that was exactly the reason we needed to stop, "You're right. We really shouldn't go there with my sister looking for secret clues in the next room…"

"And especially not in a replica of our mom's room when we know she's probably watching."

Gosh. I hadn't even thought of the fact that no way had Raet designed these tasks so that she wouldn't know everything that happened within them.

"When this is over… when we're both safe," Colton promised with a kiss. "Now let's go before Claudia comes and finds us."

I should have felt embarrassed, but I didn't as I slid my shirt back on. What was the point in feeling embarrassed about something you didn't regret?

"Guys!" I heard Claudia call from down the hall. "If you're not too busy I think I've figured out what we need to do, but you won't like it."

"Why?" Colton asked opening the door the only hint of our actions being the one missed belt loop.

"This is the level of Ren," Claudia translated pointing to the writing on the wall of what would have been my room. "Basically your secret name. It's kind of hard to explain but in short it's your whole life in a single word. Only you and the person who knows you best can find your secret name in their heart."

I nodded in understanding, "So what's the problem."

Claudia looked a bit distressed when she responded, and I understood why quickly, "Because Raet only wanted the Chosen One and the Osirian to pass because you can't just say your own name. The other person who knows it, your soul mate, has to say it. My mom once told me that the Chosen One and Osirian always know the others name…Colton you have to say Eve's and Eve you have to say Colton's…"

"But what about you?" Colton asked looking at my little sister with worry after coming to the same conclusion we had.

"There's no one to say my name," Claudia told us voice barely cracking. "I have no way of moving on to the next level."

No. No way could I just leave Claudia here…

"I'll be fine," when the girl spoke I knew she was speaking to me. "It says anyone else can wait here. You have to come back this way with the coffin anyway so you can just pick me up then." She seemed so confident that I had to believe her, despite not wanting to. "I'll see you soon. Just be fast, okay?"

"But, but who's going to translate the instructions on the next level?" I asked with a smile and a voice crack. Claudia seemed so confident that she'd be fine, but I'd promised myself I wouldn't let her out of my sight. If I left her here I couldn't protect her.

Claudia wasn't crying, but her voice sounded like she was. "It will be a test of your sheut or your shadow. I think it will probably be something to do with Anubis because the sheut is said to be his servant and since you're his servant to Eve… I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out."

"And you're sure there's no other way." How could Colton, the born protector, really be okay with this?

Claudia nodded, "Either you go on without me or we all starve here in your creepy replica house."

Colton turned to me now, "We don't have a choice Eve. We have to go on and come back for Claudia."

I knew he was right, but that didn't make it hurt any less as I looked at my sister, pressed my hand against the wall, and whispered the name that explained all the reasons I loved Colton.


	18. Chapter 18 House of Heaven

Who's ready for the world to fall to piece? I know I am! Also, don't forget to review because the more reviews I get the less likely I am to start killing… how I do love my killing.

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Chapter 18

House of Heaven

I knew something had gone wrong before even opening my eyes because Colton was no longer with me.

I stood amid a beautiful master bedroom red drapes scooping around the bed frames like seashells. A single window sat on the wall, and when I peered over the edge I realized I was definitely still in the Du'at. Though i_t's certainly nicer than the last few Du'at levels._

"Your mother loved it too," at his words, I spun to find Anubis fingering the bed sheets with a sad smile. "Not that she'd ever have admitted it. This was our room for about the week our marriage lasted."

I didn't really care about Nina and Anubis' disastrous marriage; I wanted to know where Colton was.

"Care to sit down?" Anubis despite us both knowing the answer was a firm 'no'. "Fine then. I'll give you your answers, but first I'd like to tell you a little story."

The look of disgust on my face must have been clear as I shook my head, "Look, I get you're a god and all and to you everyone must look like a baby, but I don't want to hear a story. I want to find Colton."

Anubis seemed neither to care about nor to hear the threats clinging to the tip of my tongue, "Colton is in no immediate danger. Now I won't ask again. Please, sit down and listen to my story."

With no other option presenting itself, I plopped down on the bed with a sigh. Clearly pleased, Anubis began his story, "Imagine there's a goddess who hates everything because it was once hers and now isn't. Now imagine she thought she could finally get it all back only to have her pawn die."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I told the god annoyed. "I already know the story of Raet. Blaw blaw blaw."

Anubis shook his head, "You think you know the story, but you don't. Raet lost everything when Nina died, and she decided Eddie and Nina were to blame. Unfortunately, Nina was past the point of pain and Isis had placed a spell on Eddie's family to protect them. There was no way for Raet to get her revenge."

I wanted to scream, but since I knew I wasn't getting out of here until I listened I kept my tongue. (Something that clearly pleased the speaking Anubis.) "Then I married Nina and made her a goddess. Suddenly there was a way for Nina to be human again and a way for Raet to punish her." I almost felt bad for the wistful Anubis despite the fact that every moment he spent talking I wasn't with Colton, "If I had known what would come of it I'd never have made Nina human again. I'd lock her up for a hundred years to save everyone from the pain Nina's humanity caused."

Even before he spoke, I had a feeling Anubis didn't care that if he hadn't made Nina human I'd never have been born at all, "Raet was patient, so patient even I was beginning to think she'd just let it go. Then, you and Colton were born and she took you. That was her ultimate revenge. In her mind, Eddie and Nina took the thing she loved the most-power. In return she took the things they loved the most-their newborn children. Raet took you and raised you as her own. I never knew you were with her; she hid that well. I had known, unfortunately, what else she was up to these past 16 years. Before you were even born Raet raised and army to overthrow King Horus, but they failed. So, she needed a new tactic. Raet figured that the only way she'd become the head of the gods again was for Horus to willingly give her the position. To do this she needed a bargaining chip, but there aren't many things Raet can just steal that matter to Horus. Actually, there is nothing Raet can just steal that matters to the King of the Gods, but that's beside the point. She's smart though, oh so clever, and she realized the only thing Horus does care about is his family. If she was to kidnap the Osirian, who Osiris has a responsibility for, then she'd have control over Osiris. If she has control over Osiris Raet has control over Osiris' son, Horus."

No. Anubis couldn't be saying that… "But Osiris and I aren't dumb and we figured this out same time she did." Oh. Good. "So we took precautions. We knew you and Colton were being born: a new generation of Chosen One and Osirian. We also knew that at some point or another Raet would draw you two to Osiris' sarcophagus where, once the Osirian touches it, she'd have full control over Horus. The easiest way to keep that from happening was to make sure the Osirian just never touched the coffin. Now we could have done that by killing the kid, but come on we're not evil. Instead, we just plucked the Osirian from the trials right before they got to the sarcophagus."

Hearing that Colton too had been removed from the hell Raet had created finally let me release the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Colton really was safe and probably somewhere close.

I wanted to hug Anubis, until I realized he wasn't done. "Thing is, second Raet thought she'd lost we'd have a big problem. We needed Raet to think she'd won until it was too late. The solution was presented by, ironically enough, another persona of Ra-one your mom knows as Elena. See who can be the Chosen One and who can be the Osirian depends on blood, but the Osirian and the Chosen One have been falling in love and having kids for centuries. The bloodlines are so tangled it doesn't really matter. Sure, we've always gone with the boy for the Osirian and girl for the Chosen One because call me sexist all you want girls are better at magic guys at protecting. But it doesn't have to be that way. If Osiris and I wanted to the son of the Osirian could be the Chosen one…"

"And the daughter of the Chosen One could be the Osirian."


	19. Chapter 19 House of Hell

I dedicate this chapter to ViolinRocker12 because it's her birthday and I'm awesome to my reviewers like that. Enjoy :)

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Chapter 19

House of Hell

"Where's Colton?"

The ferocity in my voice shocked even me, probably because I don't even remember speaking. Anubis took a step back, but kept his voice level as he replied, "Eve, just listen to me."

But I wasn't ready to 'just listen'. I'd been sure Colton was safe because Anubis said they'd grabbed the Osirian, but Colton's not the Osirian. I am and now Colton's probably with Raet because she thinks he is me. "I don't care if you're god I will find a way to make you regret you were ever born if you don't tell me where Colton is this very instant."

I'll admit that Anubis seemed very worried at this point, possibly because I'd pinned him in a corner with my body despite him almost being a foot taller than me. If I was just Colton's Osirian I'd be going mad right now, but I was so much more. I was his girlfriend, and I loved him. I loved him enough to do anything to save him, even if it meant fighting a god and dying in the process. (Not that I could really save him if I was dead, but you catch my drift.)

Unfortunately, Anubis was still a god, so I couldn't keep him pinned for long because he just teleported behind me. Strong muscles pinned my arms to my sides, so I just did the first thing every girl learns. (Even when their mom is an evil goddess who's kidnapped their boyfriend). I kicked my knee right up and hit Anubis where it hurts.

He might be a god, but he's still a man.

Free, I took my moment of leave and dashed towards the door despite having no idea where I was going. Correction. I knew where I was going. I knew where Colton was. I just didn't know how to get there. A hundred winding corridors ended in locks, leaving me to just dash down the next while Anubis cried my name. Finally, I found myself in an open hall ordained only by three throne-like seats and a scale.

That, and a god.

"Oh not you too!" I cried plopping down on the floor in helplessness. What was the point in dashing around this mad mansion? Everywhere I went there was just another locked door and I had no way out. No way to get to Colton before it was too late.

"Did you two honestly think Raet would just let Colton live once she realized he held no power over you?"

Though not a hair had been moved, Anubis didn't look like a man anymore when he slouched to the floor beside me. If anything, he looked younger than I did with my white hair, stress wrinkles, and ancient eyes.

Wait. I don't have any of those features. I'm 16 not 87 so why could I picture myself with them so vividly?

"It's the hall, Osiris, who probably actually was reading my mind, answered smoothly. "The Hall of Judgment. These are the pearly gates, so when you're here you see yourself as you will be when you die."

Maybe I'd die a passive, feeble, better-off-dead woman, but I wasn't one now as I sprung to my feet. "And what would Colton see if he stood here? An old man or the teenage boy you sent off to be slaughtered?"

To be honest, I don't think Osiris liked me very much, "You're being ridiculous Eve. Raet raised Colton just as she did you; why would she kill him now after all this time?"

My hands were so intertwined with my hair that I almost pulled the locks out when I screamed in frustration, "BECAUSE IT WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN! BUT NOW YOU'VE GONE AND CHANGED HER PLAN AND COLTON WILL PAY THE PRICE."

"I will not be spoken to like that in my own palace, not even by you!" Osiris' grown would have been enough to make a brave man cower, but I'm not a brave man. I'm an Osirian and my Chosen One needed me.

"You forget Osiris," I told the god with a grin as my second spirit took over and I knew exactly what I had to do. "You forget that when you made the Osirian at Asim's request he wasn't only making a deal with you. He vowed that we'd all find love in some shape or form for our Chosen One, but you vowed to give a protector. A protector so powerful he, or now she, could protect the Chosen One even. From. You." A sly grin crept up my face as the flabbergasted gods realized just what stood before them-a girl with a golden spirit and matching eyes. "So this is me, saving my Chosen One from you."


	20. Chapter 20 House of Osirian

Chapter 20

House of Osirian

Osiris had given me the ability to do everything he could if it would protect Colton, and now it was coming back to bite him. In the blink of the eye I'd left the palace and found myself back in the replica version of my house much to the surprise of Claudia.

"Eve! What the heck? You're back… where's Colton tell me something didn't…"

"Nothing's happened yet," I told her and heard an audible sigh of relief, "But if we don't move quickly that won't be the case for much longer."

Claudia shook her head clearly confused, "We. Eve you know I can't get through."

Rubbing my temples, I tried to think for one second. I'd planned on going to Colton; yet, I'd ended up back here with Claudia. That had to mean something… but what?

Of course. It meant I needed Claudia. "Clauds, look at me. I don't have much time to explain. Basically Osiris and Anubis tried outsmarting Raet by making me the Osirian and Colton the Chosen One, but they were going to let him die because of it. I'm not about to let that happen so we need to get through to the next level. Do you trust me?"

"You're my sister, Eve," Claudia whispered softly a spark lighting in her worried eyes, "Of course I trust you."

Knowing what I had to do, I spoke with a slightly crazed grin on my face, "Then step away from that wall." She did as I requested, and as if throwing a baseball I tossed my arm only to discover a flaming ball sparking from within it. The ball crashed into the wall knocking it to pieces and opening up the path for Claudia and I to dash right over to the open sarcophagus.

"Oh my gods," Claudia cried noticing the fair hair boy lying within. "Eve. Eve. I think he's dead."

"He's not dead," I told her quickly leaning down to plant the softest kiss on his barely breathing lips, "But he will be soon if we don't get him out of here."

"Not so fast girls," it was a voice I'd recognize anywhere mixed with a body that was brand new. Well, not brand new, I'd seen it once before in a library, but she didn't look like the woman who raised me. No, Raet looked like Luce...probably because they were the same person.

"Step away from Colton," Raet ordered, but I ignored her in the way I should have my entire life. Claudia moved a little, but looked confused when she did.

"I don't..." she began, but Raet only chucked.

"I'm so sorry," she replied lifting her hand on her heart in fake sincerity. "Did I just use my compulsion on you? It's a goddess thing dear Claudia don't take it personally."

I literally spit in response to her snide remarks, "Too bad it doesn't work on me anymore, mother. Then you could have anything you wanted."

"I'll still have everything I want," she swore, "But the compulsions lack of ability is just the proof I needed. So it's true then what I expected; you're the true Osirian. I was wondering why it had worked on Colton." Ah. At least now I knew how she'd gotten the boy into the coffin. If she had some sort of magical persuasion that only didn't work on the Osirian she'd have gotten him to do anything.

"It's true." What was the point in lying about something we all knew? She could read minds anyway and just taking a peak at one of ours would have drawn about the same conclusion. "And since Colton is of no use to you I suggest you let him go before I make you."

If there was one thing Raet could do to make me hate her even more it was laugh at my threat, and as always she did exactly that. "Colton? Of no use to me? Eve, honey, Colton's the only thing that could ever rectify this little issue!"

Neither Claudia nor I liked the cheerful tone that remained in Raet's voice, "What do you mean?" my sister asked before the goddess told her to shut up and she could speak no more.

Raet acted like she hadn't heard the question as she ran her hand across the smooth oak the sarcophagus was made out of. "This belonged to Osiris originally, did you know that? Set tricked him to lie in it before dumping the coffin in the Nile Osiris along with it. Isis, with my help wouldn't you know, eventually dragged it out, but her husband was dead and ended up stuck in the Du'at even to this day. Interesting thing is it was built to only close with Osiris in it so when everyone else lay in it nothing happened."

I wanted to sass the goddess, really, I did, but sassing the person who could easily kill your sister, boyfriend, and you in a blink wasn't probably the best idea. Therefore, I instead just nodded my head and pretended to be interested during her long (and obnoxious) dramatic pauses.

"I'll let Colton go," the goddess finally declared looking up with a malevolent glint in her eyes. "But someone else needs to replace him inside. That's not my rule; it's the coffins. It is my rule however that the only person who can get in is someone who fits. That means Osiris… or you."

"Don't be ridiculous," I told the goddess with squinted eyes, "I'm not the same size as Osiris. I won't just fit."

Raet rolled her eyes, something I think she got from living with me, before speaking condescendingly, "Don't be ridiculous. Gods don't have formal bodies everyone sees what they expect. It's the magic contained in the person's soul that the coffin recognizes and you're the same as Osiris. So, my dear, you're left with two options. Try to walk away from this place and I'll kill Claudia and Colton before dragging your lifeless body into this sarcophagus by force. Or you can willingly get in, condemn yourself to an eternity of conscious imprisonment, and I'll let your sister and love walk from this place unharmed. I'll even guarantee their and your other siblings safety in my new world order. I have no gripe with you children; it's the gods and your parents who deserve to be punished. It's your choice dear, but one way or another you're going in that coffin. So, what shall it be?"

I didn't trust Raet. I didn't trust her one bit, but her tone said it all. She wanted me to make a decision;yet, I had no choice at all. I could only hug my panicked sister and give my love a final, lingering kiss before turning to Raet and offering a nod.


	21. Chapter 21 House of Love

Chapter 21

House of Love

"Not. So. Fast," I spun upon recognizing Anubis' obnoxious voice. I wanted to scream out of frustration. Here I was trying to save everyone I cared about, and Anubis was just going to get them all killed!

Raet, however, seemed only slight amused, "You can't control her anymore than you can control me."

"Eve," Anubis cried ignoring the goddess (much to her displeasure). "We have other options, just hear me out for one minute. You do this and you're condemning the world to death."

"And if I don't do this I'm condemning my family to death!"

Anubis took a step closer, but backed away when Raet pulled Claudia in close, "You're not saving your parents. You're not saving Colton's parents."

Couldn't he see that I didn't care? "I don't know my parents," I reminded him recognizing the tears boiling in my eyes. "But I do know Claudia and when I do this I'm saving her, and Mollie, and Alice, and even the unborn twins. I'm saving the innocent."

"You're saving yourself!" Anubis' cry held true anger, which shocked even Raet. "You're saving yourself from pain because you're not going to have to see the world she'll build. You think you're helping those Raet's promised to save? At least death is kind. If you do this then you're as bad as her."

"Maybe I am as bad as her," I whispered helplessly, "But that's because she raised me. She raised me selfish enough to let the world end so I didn't have to live and see it."

"You're nothing like your mother," Anubis hissed. "She stood up for what was right no matter what. You're nothing like the woman I love, but that doesn't matter." The shift in the god's tone had me trembling. He was up to something; he was up to something big.

"Raet," the god bellowed. "I would like to propose a deal. I get in the coffin and you wait 1000 years to enact your revenge. By then they'll all be long dead and those Nina loves will be safe. You've waited millennium to be queen, what's another while?"

"You get in?" Raet sneered despite her anxious eyes. "Why would you do that?"

"There are things that will be missing from your world, Raet," the god answered with a sad smile. "Love will be one of them because you're like every other god and just don't get it. You don't understand how another can go before yourself. But that doesn't matter. I just want an answer. Do we have a deal."

A silent chill fell upon the Du'at as we waited for Raet's response. My mind whirled as it tried to figure out what to do. I couldn't just let a god trap himself in a coffin and set the apocalypse date, but how could I stop him? Why would I stop him? The world had to end sometime, why not in 1000 years? That's generations of happy people that wouldn't exist with my plan. In all actually it was a brilliant plan. No one got hurt for years… except for Anubis. That wasn't too bad a price, right?

No. It was too high a price. Any life would be too high a price, but it was lower than whatever I could offer as I stood there helpless. Finally, Raet responded. "It wouldn't shut on you anyway. You've been in there before and you didn't fit."

Anubis bobbed his head in assent, "That's entirely true. I didn't fit as me, but I could fit like this."

Before I could even comprehend what happened, a shooting pain flew down my side because Anubis' hand was in Colton's chest! I dashed to save him from what had to have been an evil plan, when my knees hit the ground my body inflamed in agony. Tears blurred my vision, but I noticed the golden Osirian spirit flying from my body towards the silver one Anubis had plucked from Colton. Jamming both spirits into his chest Anubis spoke again with a grimace, "So, Raet, do we have a deal."

The goddess smiled wickedly as she motioned it was okay for me to grab Colton from the coffin. Anubis helped me drag the unconsciously limp body from the coffin silently for neither of us were capable of coherent speech. Once I'd gathered Colton and Claudia in my tight embrace I turned just in time to see Anubis extend his hand, "Enjoy your next millennium."

"Oh I will," Raet smirked. "Enjoy your eternity Anu…"

Before I could even blink, the death god had pulled Raet into the shutting coffin. A tangle of bodies disappeared into the marble tomb as I realized what the god just did.

There would be no Apocalypse in 1000 years. He'd outsmarted Raet by blinding her with the one thing she thought she knew but would never really understand-love. Anubis willingly condemned himself to an eternity of entombment with Raet to save the world.

No. I'm not a fool. He didn't do it for the world, I realized as I looked at my mute sister silently crying, he did it for us. Anubis gave up everything so we could return to our mother.

He gave up everything for his love, Nina Rutter.


	22. Chapter 22 House of Anubis

Chapter 22

House of Anubis

Colton awoke shortly to find me sitting dumbly in a chair holding my silently crying sister. I knew I had to explain to him all that happened, but I just couldn't. Not here, not now, and maybe not ever.

"It will be okay," he whispered while planting a soft kiss on my sweaty forehead. "It will be okay."

But would it be okay? Life would never be the same for Claudia; whatever Raet did to her voice seemed permanent. Life would never be the same again for any of us. In a week we'd found a world of magic and lost our entire beings. Nothing would be okay.

Or so I was thinking when Claudia's phone started ringing. She started crying again, probably realizing she'd never be able to answer it, so I picked up, "Hello?"

"Eve? Is that you?" It was Fabian. _No_, I told myself. _It's your dad._

"Yeah," I told him with a gulp. "Is everything okay?"

Fabian sounded more relieved than angry despite his paternal tone, "Is everything okay? You, Claudia, and Colton have been missing for days! We were starting to worry that…"

"We're all okay," I promised him despite it not being true at all. "Or we're all alive at least. Something… something happened to Claudia's voice. Raet…"

"Raet?" the man cried true panic lacing his voice. "God are you okay? Where are you?"

I took a rattling breath and replied, "We're in the study at the start of the tunnels… in the basement…"

"Stay there," my dad demanded. "We'll have Eddie come pick you up. Your mother and I are at the hospital."

No! Don't tell me that after all that happened… "She'd fine," he assured. "We're all fine. It's just there are two little guys who'd love to meet you."

Claudia's hand rose to cover her mouth first as we realized what he meant. We'd been in the Du'at and our mom had been having our twin brothers.

"You still there?" an amused Fabian asked.

I nodded before remembering he couldn't see me, "Yeah. We're here. Should we go up to the house and meet up with Eddie?"

"Just stay there," Fabian insisted. "He'll be down that way you don't have to try and start explaining things to your housemates. You'll have plenty of explaining to do with your mother."

My mother. I knew he didn't mean the woman who'd just been trapped in a coffin for all eternity, but the words still hurt. No matter what she did I still saw Raet as my mother; she did, after all, raise me… if poorly.

"He'll be there soon," Fabian promised. "I love you girls, okay."

"We love you too, dad," I whispered and I could swear I heard a smile on the other end.

Eddie didn't look for explanations when he showed up. Wordlessly we just loaded into the car and drove the few miles to the hospital where, despite us insisting Claudia see a doctor, the four of us ended up walking into the room where our tear-stained families held two beautiful newborn babies.

"You're safe!" Mollie giggled running to hug us and dropping her I-pad on the floor in the process. (Exhibit A as to why she wasn't holding a baby.) "Mummy told me all about the gods. It's so cool."

I wished I could agree with my kid sister, but I didn't find it cool at all.

Since I was the only one capable of telling the full story, I began slowly meshing the words together in what some call sentences. I tried to glaze over the worst parts in an effort to scare neither Mollie nor my parents, but it was hard. Nothing was worse than the agony on their faces when I explained why Claudia would never be able to speak again, but the look in Nina's eyes when I finished broke my heart.

Words were said, plans made, but I heard nothing of it. Slinking to the ground I felt utterly alone in a room full of people who loved me. If I had only made Colton listen when I thought Luce evil none of this would ever have happened.

**It's okay, you know.** A note that Claudia slid into my hands read. **Now I have an excuse to build some weird robot voice box. Honestly, I've been trying to figure out a way to shut myself up for years. **

I tried smiling, just to say I was okay, but Claudia wasn't stupid enough to believe me. **You're not okay now. But you will be. I promise. **

"Thank you," I whispered giving her a hug.

"So this means no more Chosen Ones and Osirians, right?" Patricia asked thinking back to house Anubis had taken both spirits in. "I mean you went into labor early Nina because the twins were going to be the new ones, but now they're not, correct."

"That would be my guess," I told her with a shrug. "I mean I know I'm not the Osirian anymore and since I don't feel any mystical connection with Colton anymore I think we're free at least."

"Anubis would have made sure it was over," Nina vowed so sure in the man who loved her more than anything. "He was going to stop it with Eddie and I but only kept it going to keep you and Colton from danger… not that it really worked."

"We're alive," Colton reminded my mom softly. "That's a lot more than we would have been without his help."

"Now here's my question," Eddie, who seemed to think a change in discussion, was most appropriate. "What are their names?"

"Well this one is Kyle, after Nina's father," Fabian responded smiling and holding up the larger one with a bit more hair in his hands. He went to say the other name when my mom interrupted.

"And this one is Anubis," Nina decided much to everyone, but Fabian's, surprise. "In honor of the man who was a great friend of mine and did everything to bring my daughter's home. It's because of him that I have my family whole and safe, and in this way he'll ever be a part of us."

"Well at least you didn't name that one Sibuna," Patricia joked with her best friend. "Now that would take a long time to explain."

The End


	23. Author's Note

Authors note

I literally don't know what to say. Tomorrow will be the 6th month anniversary of when I first published the first chapter of Children of the Obelisk from which this entire series, no, epic saga, arose. But tomorrow there will be no update, because I'm done. This is the story I chose to write, and I hope that you liked it as much as me.

I know I cried many times writing it and hope you felt something while reading it. I hope you enjoyed yourself too. I hope it made you think. I hope it made you laugh. I hope you thought it was good.

I'd just like to thank all of you who are reading this. So many people who "love it" stopped reading along the way maybe because it got bad or just too long, but you didn't. You stuck with it so thank you. I love you like Alfie loves food and Amber loves pink.

Thank you.

Sibuna.


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